The former owner of a well-known Boothbay Harbor lobster pound and seafood market died Saturday after he was hit by a van while crossing a road in Florida.
Ed Tibbetts, shown at Atlantic Edge Lobster Co. in Boothbay Harbor in June 2005, was killed in a crash in Florida. Press Herald photo
The Florida Highway Patrol, which investigated the crash, confirmed Monday that Edward Tibbets, 65, of Boothbay Harbor, was killed in St. Augustine on Saturday morning.
Florida Highway Patrol Master Sgt. Dylan Bryan told the Boothbay Register newspaper that Tibbetts and his wife, Kathy, 63, were crossing the A1A highway on foot near The Reef Restaurant when a van operated by a 17-year-old male from Warsaw, Indiana, struck the couple. There were five other teens in the van, all of whom were 16 or younger.
Multiple messages left with Bryan and the Florida Highway Patrol on Tuesday were not returned.
Bryan told the newspaper that the couple were transported to Flagler Hospital in St. Augustine, where Edward Tibbetts was pronounced dead. Kathy Tibbets was taken to Jacksonville Memorial Hospital, where she was treated for minor injuries. Occupants of the van were all wearing seat belts and were not injured.
The Boothbay Register, quoting Kathy Tibbetts’ brother, Richard Hyson, said she suffered bruises and a broken arm. The couple had been staying at a campground near the crash site, Hyson said.
Edward and Kathy Tibbetts owned Atlantic Edge Lobster in Boothbay Harbor for 19 years before selling their business on Jan. 1, 2021. In letter to the editor published by the Boothbay Register in December 2020, the couple thanked the community for supporting their business for nearly two decades.
The Tibbetts bought lobsters from local fishermen and sold their products to restaurants and markets, as well as to wholesale dealers. Atlantic Edge Lobster opened in 2002.
“We have appreciated the support from local residents, summer residents, vacationers and the ones who want a taste of Maine shipped to or enjoyed at their home,” the couple said in their farewell letter.
Atlantic Edge Lobster sits on a working pier owned by the town of Boothbay Harbor.
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