Woman airlifted after bad wreck; Police officer may have saved her life as car burned

A woman was airlifted to Miami Friday morning after crashing into the Little White House presidential gate on Whitehead Street, but she could have died if one quick-thinking officer had not responded.

Brunilda Valencia, 32, was driving south on Caroline Street and trying to turn left onto Whitehead Street when she crashed into the gate tower at 7:06 a.m., totaling the Chevrolet HHR, said police Community Affairs Officer Steve Torrence.

The force of the crash caused the car to catch fire and knocked Valencia out. One of the first people to arrive was police Officer Diane Lipinski, who got in the back seat and held Valencia's head upright until paramedics arrived, so she could still breathe while unconscious.

Passers-by doused the fire with fire extinguishers.

"It was a very chaotic scene," Torrence said. "It was great and a quick-thinking thing Diane did.. we may have had a different outcome had she not been there."

Valencia - who is an Army reservist and also works at the Hyatt Key West Resort and Spa - suffered internal injuries and broken bones and was airlifted to Ryder Trauma Center in Miami in "extremely critical condition," Torrence said.

She remained critical as of Friday afternoon, he added.

She was apparently going faster than the 25 mph speed limit, but investigators don't believe alcohol was a factor.

Whether Valencia suffers from a health condition that caused the wreck is also being investigated, Torrence said.

The force of the crash leveled one metal gate pillar and knocked its adjacent gates from their hinges.

There were no other vehicles involved in the crash.

Valencia was alone in the car, Torrence said.

alinhardt@keysnews.com