A late-night walk along one of Volusia County's busiest corridors ended in tragedy Tuesday when a Port Orange man was struck by a pickup truck at the intersection of International Speedway Boulevard and Kepler Road, authorities said.
The crash happened around 11 p.m. on May 26. Emergency crews rushed the pedestrian to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. State troopers responded to the scene, and the Florida Highway Patrol says the crash remains under investigation.
According to an FHP report, as detailed by ClickOrlando, a 2019 Ford F-150 driven by a 20-year-old Lake Helen man was heading north in the left-turn lane on Kepler Road. As the truck began a left turn, troopers say a 46-year-old Port Orange man stepped off the sidewalk into the path of the vehicle. Investigators said the pedestrian "failed to yield the right of way," and the front of the pickup hit him.
The driver was not taken to a hospital and stayed at the scene while troopers conducted their work.
The Florida Highway Patrol is leading the probe. As the state agency responsible for highway crash investigations, FHP troopers collect evidence and reconstruct collisions to determine what contributed to a wreck. For more on the agency and how it investigates serious crashes, see the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles' information on FHP.
International Speedway Boulevard's safety record
U.S. 92, also known as International Speedway Boulevard, has long been the focus of safety studies because sections of the road have repeated injury crashes and gaps in pedestrian facilities. A River to Sea TPO corridor analysis of the US 92 stretch details issues with turning movements and limited lighting in some areas, and it recommends targeted safety upgrades to bring crash numbers down.
FDOT work and what changed
The Florida Department of Transportation recently wrapped up a resurfacing and safety project on International Speedway Boulevard from North Alabama Avenue to east of Kepler Road. The work included widening turn lanes, filling sidewalk gaps and improving intersection lighting.
Those changes are intended to help drivers see better and give people on foot clearer crossing points. Planners and troopers note, however, that engineering fixes are only one piece of lowering pedestrian risk along major roads, and that driver behavior and safe crossing choices still play a major role.
Troopers are asking anyone who may have seen Tuesday night's crash to contact FHP or local law enforcement to help them put together a full picture of what happened. This story will be updated as officials release more information.
