By Danny Valentine, Times Staff Writer
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
TAMPA — A Tampa man was killed early Wednesday when his car hit a tree, police said.
Richard Tairay Tran was alone in his Nissan, which ended up wrapped around an oak tree near Manhattan Avenue and San Juan Street about 3:30 a.m. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Tran was heading south in the outside lane when he tried to pass a car, police said. Another car entered his lane, and Tran overcorrected, hitting the curb, sideswiping a palm tree and crashing into the tree, police said.
Brian Cobb, 48, lives one house away and heard the impact.
"It sounded like a bomb going off," said Cobb, who grabbed a tool that breaks windows and cuts seat belts and ran out to help.
"Are you okay?" he asked. There was no answer, he said, and he saw no movement.
The car "just folded around the tree," Cobb said. "The tree was almost to the dashboard." He could not get the driver out of the car, he said.
It took firefighters until 6:30 a.m. to remove both doors on the driver's side and remove Tran's body.
Parts of the vehicle, including the battery and a headlight, were flung several feet in front of the car.
Cobb snapped a picture of the crumpled up vehicle as it sat on the bed of a tow truck. "I want to show my goddaughter what speed can do," he said.