A 78-year-old man died Friday night after he was struck while trying to cross Dundee Road roughly 500 feet from the nearest crosswalk, in the latest fatal collision along a stretch of Polk County roadway with a troubled safety history. The man was carrying a flashlight as he attempted to cross from the south side of the road to the north side near Overlook Drive, between Winter Haven and Dundee, when he was hit by a gray 2007 Toyota Camry traveling east.
Polk County Sheriff's Office deputies were dispatched to the scene at around 9:55 pm on State Road 542, according to a post from Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd. The pedestrian was found deceased at the scene. Investigators with the Polk County Sheriff's Office Traffic Homicide Unit said the Camry's driver did not see the man until the moment of impact.
The Traffic Homicide Unit of the Polk County Sheriff's Office is investigating a fatal crash that occurred Friday night, August 28, 2026 between a gray 2007 Toyota Camry and a 78-year-old male pedestrian.
— Polk County Sheriff 🚔 Grady Judd (@PolkCoSheriff) August 29, 2026
PCSO deputies were dispatched at around 9:55 pm to the crash scene between… pic.twitter.com/7Lfsol29HQ
Preliminary findings from the sheriff's office indicate that impairment, speed, and distracted driving do not appear to have factored into the crash. Investigators noted that no charges are anticipated against the driver at this point, a determination tied to Florida law: under Florida Statute Section 316.130(10), pedestrians crossing outside a marked or unmarked crosswalk at an intersection are legally required to yield the right-of-way to vehicles on the roadway. The investigation remains ongoing.
Road Closure Turns Chaotic
The eastbound lanes of Dundee Road were shut down for approximately 2.75 hours while deputies worked the scene. During that closure, a secondary collision unfolded when a Ford Escape struck an unoccupied Polk County Sheriff's patrol vehicle near Overlook Drive, deploying the Escape's airbags, according to a Facebook update from the sheriff's office. The Escape's driver was not injured, and no deputies were harmed in that incident, but it added another layer of danger to an already complicated overnight scene.
A Corridor With a Troubled Past
This is not the first serious wreck at the intersection of Dundee Road and Overlook Drive. In December 2025, a Mercedes-Benz SUV struck a Winter Haven Fire Department engine that was executing a left turn on a green signal, critically injuring the SUV's driver, as reported by ClickOrlando. Three firefighters aboard the engine were unharmed in that crash.
Nearly a year earlier, in November 2024, a 46-year-old man was killed near the same intersection when his 2014 Honda CR-V collided with a pickup truck as he attempted a turn, per WTSP. That victim died at the scene. The pattern stretches back further still: in January 2021, an eastbound vehicle on Dundee Road struck and critically injured a 22-year-old female pedestrian walking along the roadway at night, about 50 feet from an intersection, according to the Daily Ridge.
A Road Widened, But Still Dangerous
The Florida Department of Transportation completed a $48.3 million project in April 2023 that widened State Road 542 from two to four lanes between Buckeye Loop Road and U.S. 27, adding a traffic signal at Overlook Drive along with new sidewalks and bike lanes. The upgrade was designed in part to accommodate growth tied to Legoland and new retail development in the area. Despite those improvements, the corridor has continued to see severe and fatal crashes in the years since.
The crash also fits into a broader regional pattern of pedestrian danger. Smart Growth America's 2026 “Dangerous by Design” report ranked the Lakeland-Winter Haven metro area 21st among the 101 largest U.S. metro areas for pedestrian fatality rates, recording 3.14 deaths per 100,000 residents, a decline from a 5th-place national ranking in 2019, as Hoodline has previously reported on Polk pedestrian deaths. Statewide, Governors Highway Safety Association data for 2024 put Florida's pedestrian fatality rate at 2.86 deaths per 100,000 residents, representing 668 deaths and the sixth-highest rate among all states.
Regional transportation data reviewed by the Brooks Law Group indicates Polk County sees more than 5,000 traffic crashes and nearly 120 traffic-related fatalities each year, with high-speed arterial roads like US 98, SR 60, and US 27 accounting for a heavy share of the deaths. The Polk County Sheriff's Office, which patrols unincorporated Polk County and six contracted municipalities including Dundee, reported a 24.6% drop in overall crime across its jurisdiction in mid-2025 Uniform Crime Report data, even as fatal traffic incidents like Friday's continue to test the agency's Traffic Homicide Unit.
