As a writer, I encounter so many stories of people who meet their untimely demises. It’s always tragic and heartbreaking, and it always reminds me of just how fleetingly precious life is. Even once you’ve achieved your retirement goals, tragedy can strike as it did for one married couple who had escaped to Florida for their golden years. Angelo Theodosiou, 64, and his wife, Christina Theodosiou, 58, were driving through their coastal community of Nocatee on a golf cart when Christina Theodosiou fell off and smacked her head.
According to the New York Post, she was taken to the hospital and, sadly, died of her injuries. Arrest reports obtained by Law & Crime state that Christina Theodosiou fell from the golf cart at 10:45 p.m., and investigators suspect that the reason was because Angelo Theodosiou was under the influence of alcohol while driving the vehicle.
The arrest report indicated that, “[His] eyes were bloodshot and watery and pupils displayed a reddened sclera,” per the Post. Officers at the scene alleged they could also smell on him “an odor of alcoholic beverage” that was “from approximately three feet away in an open area.”
Reportedly, the husband at first agreed to comply to a breathalyzer test but later recanted his compliance. He has been charged with driving under the influence and refusing to submit to police testing.
Angelo Theodosiou’s lawyer, L. Lee Lockett, told St. John’s Citizen that his client was “devastated” and maintains his innocence.
“He’s distraught. He’s depressed as can be,” Lockett told the outlet. “My client maintains his innocence and we’re looking forward to receiving the evidence,’ he added. “He didn’t cause the accident, he was not impaired.”
The attorney went on to say that the family is supporting Angelo Theodosiou’s claims. “I’ve spoken to his son, and what I’ve been told is the entire family is heartbroken, and they are standing behind him,” the lawyer said.
Neighbors reportedly told WJAX that tragedy was “bound to strike” because of the high volume of golf carts used in the affluent area.
“We kind of imagine it was only a matter of time before someone was in an accident at this intersection,” Christopher Barnes, who witnessed the aftermath of the crash, told the outlet.
The Post noted that the two had relocated there for retirement after Angelo Theodosiou spent years as a small business owner with his own restaurant in Queens, New York.
On her online obituary, family and friends remembered Nicole as the “light in every room” and “was always a constant source of positive energy.”
