An 80-year-old visitor from Mansfield, Ohio has died after being struck by a GMC Yukon while walking across Hawaiian Court, just off Orlando's International Drive, on Saturday night. Florida Highway Patrol says the man was crossing outside a marked crosswalk around 8:26 p.m. when a 2026 GMC Yukon turning left out of a private driveway hit him. He was rushed to the hospital, where he later died.
According to FOX 35 Orlando, troopers reported the man was struck while walking in the northbound lane of Hawaiian Court, outside the crosswalk, when the SUV pulled out of the driveway. Emergency crews transported him to Dr. Phillips Hospital, the primary emergency facility serving the International Drive resort district, where medical staff pronounced him deceased. As reported by WKMG, the driver remained on the scene and was not injured, and the Florida Highway Patrol is continuing to investigate the crash.
A Driveway Along a Busy Tourist Corridor
Hawaiian Court sits directly within Orlando's International Drive convention and resort corridor, less than a mile from the Orange County Convention Center, an area dense with budget lodging and extended-stay hotels, per property listings on Expedia. The street sees heavy foot traffic from out-of-state visitors moving between hotels and convention venues, a pattern that puts pedestrians and turning vehicles in close, frequent contact.
The stretch has a troubled history. In June 2023, a 53-year-old Orlando motorcyclist died after losing control approaching Hawaiian Court from International Drive, according to WKMG's sister station reporting at the time. Side streets branching off the arterial connect high-speed traffic lanes with dense commercial parking, a design regional planners have flagged as a persistent hazard.
Pedestrian Deaths Climbing Even as Crashes Overall Decline
Orange County recorded 25,261 traffic crashes in 2025, resulting in 167 fatalities, 18,900 injuries and 727 pedestrian collisions, according to Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles data compiled by HOV Law — a pace of roughly 69 crashes a day countywide. Statewide, Florida logged 10,736 pedestrian crashes in 2025, a 2.2% increase from 10,501 the year before, leading to 614 pedestrian deaths, per data compiled by Swope, Rodante P.A. That increase came even as overall motor vehicle crashes fell 4% across the state.
Smart Growth America's Dangerous by Design 2026 report ranked the Orlando metro area the 25th deadliest metro region in the country for pedestrians, an improvement from 18th in 2024 and a dramatic shift from the top spot the region held in 2019, though researchers still classify the area as hazardous for people on foot. The report points to multi-lane arterial roads and wide driveways, like the one involved in Saturday's crash, as contributing factors across the metro area.
Regional Safety Push and Legal Standards for Drivers
MetroPlan Orlando has launched Vision Zero Central Florida, backed by a $3.79 million federal Safe Streets and Roads for All grant, to identify High Injury Networks across Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties, according to agency progress reports released in May. Regional planners involved in that effort have noted that state roads and commercial corridors make up 60% of the identified High Injury Network.
Under Florida Statute 316.130, pedestrians are directed to use sidewalks where available and cross within marked crosswalks when present, while drivers exiting private driveways are legally required to yield right-of-way and use due care to avoid striking pedestrians, according to the Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Separately, national data analyzed by the Governors Highway Safety Association found 7,080 pedestrian fatalities across the country in 2024, with researchers noting that larger SUVs and light trucks carry disproportionately higher fatality risk in collisions due to their taller front-end profiles.
Investigators have not said whether the driveway offered adequate sightlines onto Hawaiian Court, whether lighting conditions at 8:26 p.m. played a role, or whether any traffic charges are anticipated once the Florida Highway Patrol's investigation concludes. The case remains open.
