A woman was killed, and two men were injured, after their vehicles were involved in a crash in Volusia County on Tuesday evening.
At around 5:20 p.m., two vehicles – a 2003 GMC Sierra and 2015 Toyota Corolla – were traveling northbound on U.S. Highway 17, near the intersection of Little Brown Church Road. The Toyota sedan was directly in front of the GMC pickup truck, according to a report from the Florida Highway Patrol.
FHP stated that at the same time, a 2004 Lincoln LS was heading southbound on U.S. Highway 17, north of the Little Brown Church Road intersection.
A trooper noted in the report that the driver of the Toyota sedan, a 29-year-old woman from Saint Augustine, slowed down for the traffic ahead. The GMC pickup truck’s driver, a 29-year-old Crescent City man, “failed to observe” the Toyota, and the front of his vehicle proceeded to crash into the rear of the sedan.
After that initial impact, the Toyota sedan traveled in a northwesterly direction into the oncoming lane of U.S. 17 before colliding head-on with the Lincoln LS sedan, according to the report.
The Toyota’s driver was not wearing a seatbelt, and she was ejected from her vehicle. She was airlifted to a local hospital, where she was pronounced deceased.
The Lincoln’s two occupants – a 43-year-old man and 30-year-old man, both from DeLand – were transported to the same hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.
The driver of the GMC pickup truck was not injured.
Due to the accident, U.S. Highway 17 was temporarily shut down in both directions.
The crash remains under investigation, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.