Local man dies after being hit by a drunk driver

By Carrie A. Mizell

Nelda Jane Martens lost her husband last week because of a drunk driver who should have never been on the road.
Married on August 11, 2007, Nelda Jane and her late husband, Harold E. Martens, would have celebrated their fourth anniversary this summer. Sadly, Mr. Martens’ life was cut short Thursday, April 28, after he was hit by a drunk driver while working in Fernandina Beach, Fla.

“If a person who has been drinking gets in a car and drives down a highway and kills someone, then they should have to stand in the corner of a room and watch the torture and pain a family goes through after losing their loved one,” Mrs. Martens said.
Residents of north Gilchrist County, the Martens had spoken on the phone the afternoon of the accident, Tuesday, April 26; and Mrs. Martens recalls telling her husband, “I love you. Be careful,” just before hanging up the telephone.
According to Lt. Bill Leeper of the Florida Highway Patrol, Harold E. Martens was standing beside a work vehicle on a Fernandina Beach roadside when he was hit just before 9 p.m. The 59-year-old man was in Nassau County working at a job site for his employer Smith and Sons of Providence, Fla. when the accident occurred. Mr. Martens was rushed to Shands Jacksonville after being hit by a Jeep Wrangler that continued along South Fletcher Avenue and hit the rear of a tractor-trailer rig before coming to a stop.
Initially, it was reported that Mr. Martens suffered a broken hip, broken ribs and other injuries in the accident. After a valiant fight, Mr. Martens died from his injuries on Thursday.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the driver of the Jeep Wrangler, James Buzzard, 59, of Fernandina Beach was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the accident and suffered only minor injuries.
Leeper confirmed that the accident was alcohol related and charges are pending.
On Tuesday, Mr. Martens’ family was making funeral plans and dealing with the grief of suddenly losing a loved one. The family will forever remember Mr. Martens as a loving husband, stepfather, grandfather, brother, son and friend. He was widely known as a very compassionate and humble man.
“My husband was out working for his family, not bothering anyone, just minding his own business and doing his job,” Mrs. Martens said on Monday. “On the other hand, here is a drunk driver who chose to drink and drive. My husband didn’t have a choice in the matter, but he died just the same because of a bad choice the drunk driver made.”
After crying an endless amount of tears, Mrs. Martens said she hopes and prays that anyone who decides to drink will think twice before getting into a vehicle and driving. She knows that the Lord will comfort her during her time of sorrow and finds peace in the knowledge that she will see her husband in heaven again one day.
As it says in Ecclesiastes 9:12 “Moreover, no one knows when their hour will come.”