A deadly late-night wreck turned a busy Orlo Vista intersection into a crash scene after a vehicle slammed through a chain-link fence and came to rest across a sidewalk, shutting down traffic for hours.
The collision happened around 11:30 p.m. Thursday at Old Winter Garden Road and Pine Hills Road. Emergency crews closed the intersection while they worked the scene and cleared the wreckage, eventually reopening the roadway around daybreak on Friday.
According to WFTV, the Florida Highway Patrol set up a roadblock, and troopers stayed on scene into the early morning hours to document the crash. Channel 9 reporters who arrived shortly after the wreck saw the damaged car stretched across the sidewalk after tearing through the fence, the station reported. The outlet added that the intersection was fully reopened at about 6 a.m.
Crash site sits on trouble spot for drivers, pedestrians
Old Winter Garden Road and Pine Hills Road are part of a busy west-side corridor that county planners have repeatedly flagged as dangerous for both drivers and people on foot. A pedestrian and bicycle safety study from Orange County and the county's Orange County Vision Zero Action Plan both highlight that stretch as a concentration of serious crashes. The documents recommend a mix of engineering fixes and enforcement, including signal timing adjustments, upgraded crosswalks and targeted crackdowns on nighttime and speed-related violations along the corridor.
Troopers quiet on victims, cause as probe continues
So far, officials have not released the names of anyone involved or the cause of the crash, as the Florida Highway Patrol continues its investigation. WFTV reports that it has asked authorities for more information, and notes that troopers kept the intersection shut down for several hours while they processed the scene.
This story will be updated when state troopers or county officials release additional details.
