© Tampa Tribune, published December 11, 1999

Husband still seeks 'justice' in deaths

By SHERRI ACKERMAN

TOWN 'N COUNTRY - fiery wreck on Hillsborough Avenue, Bruce Murakami pushes forward.

Bruce Murakami wasn't looking forward to Nov. 16, 1999.

It marked a year since the death of his wife, Cindy, and their 11-year-old daughter, Chelsea.

Both died when their minivan was struck by a Dodge Intrepid and burst into flames on a dangerous stretch of west Hillsborough Avenue.

"It's not the [anniversary] that you want to celebrate," said Murakami, a construction contractor who was married to Cindy for 20 years. "All we can do is push forward."

In the months since, Murakami and others who live along Hillsborough have worked to make it safer. Their efforts recently resulted in a reduced speed limit and median improvements in front of the Colony Crossings Shopping Center.

But Murakami isn't finished pushing.

On Dec. 3, his lawyer filed wrongful death suits on behalf of Cindy and Chelsea in Hillsborough County Circuit Court.

Murakami is suing Dollar Rent A Car, which leased the Dodge Intrepid involved in the accident, the suit says. He is asking for damages in excess of $15,000 for each victim.

"Money is not going to bring them back," Murakami said this week. "I just want to bring some sense of justice to it."

Meanwhile, the Florida Highway Patrol and the State Attorney's Office continue to investigate the horrific accident, which some witnesses said was caused by drag racing. It's taking a little longer than usual, said patrol Lt. Stephen Mauriello. "There are some issues that aren't truly cut and dry."

On Nov. 16, 1998, Chelsea rode in the front seat of the family minivan with her mom, Cindy. Just before 2 p.m., they pulled out of the Publix plaza on Hillsborough, east of Elliot Road, and into the path of the Dodge.

When the vehicles collided, the van burst into flames and hit a Jeep. Cindy and Chelsea were pronounced dead at the scene. No one else was seriously injured.

Investigators have said Cindy was at least partly at fault because she pulled in front of the Dodge, which had the right of way.

Witnesses said the car, driven by Justin Cabezas, then 19, of 8743 Hampden Drive, was drag racing with a Mustang and may have been traveling as fast as 75 mph.

Patrol Lt. Harold Frear told the Tribune two days after the accident that drag racing didn't jibe with the physical evidence, which showed Cabezas' car was traveling 45 to 65 mph when it hit the Murakamis' van.

Troopers interviewed the Mustang driver and Cabezas, and will look at racing and other issues, Mauriello said. No charges have been filed.

The speed limit on Hillsborough between Sheldon Road and Silver Mill Drive was 55 mph at the time of the accident.

It has since been lowered to 50, in part because of a petition drive spearheaded by Murakami and Joan Landrum, whose 15-year-old son was struck and killed in the same area in 1994.

The two had hoped to persuade officials to install a traffic light, but Department of Transportation officials said their studies showed it was not warranted.

DOT workers are redesigning medians in front of Colony Crossings that will allow motorists to make a left turn into the shopping center.

Meanwhile, Murakami is trying to put his life back together.

He moved closer to the water, which soothes his soul. But the pain of missing his wife and daughter has kept him from work, he said.

Chelsea, who the couple had adopted, was just beginning to blossom. And his wife, he said, was his best friend.

Holidays are difficult. He'll spend Christmas with his sons in Oklahoma. Joshua, 25, graduates in the spring from Oral Roberts University. Brody, 18, attends a private school in Tulsa.