An 18-year-old pedestrian is hospitalized in serious condition after being struck by a pickup truck that was knocked onto a median on SW College Road in Ocala while the teen and two others were filming a social media video that included giving a haircut. The crash happened around 8:10 p.m. Sunday, and it quickly ignited false rumors online that the victim had died.
Police Confirm Survival After Online Rumors Spread
The Ocala Police Department moved Monday to correct widespread social media claims that the pedestrian had been killed, confirming instead that the teen survived and remains hospitalized in serious condition, according to Ocala-News.com. Influencer Yaj Lerom's video captured the aftermath Sunday evening, while unverified claims across social platforms said the incident had turned fatal. Ocala-News.com also reported that the 18-year-old was transported to a local hospital after being struck, and no other injuries were reported.
Investigators say the teen and two other young adults were filming a social media video on the median just before the crash, with the shoot reportedly including someone giving a haircut in the middle of the roadway's raised buffer. Police reported the crash occurred when a Chevrolet Silverado 3500 traveling westbound on SW College Road collided with a Lexus SUV that was entering the intersection from Ocala West Plaza, according to the same account. The impact forced the truck onto the raised median where the teen was standing.
A Corridor Already Known for Danger
This isn't the first time young adults filming stunts have drawn police attention on this stretch of road. Five months earlier, in April, Ocala officers arrested two 18-year-olds along the same corridor for filming disruptive social media stunts at a Target and a Culver's — incidents that involved driving a lawnmower inside the store and operating a leaf blower inside the restaurant, per FOX 35 Orlando. At the time, police issued a public warning that filmed pranks “are crimes, not harmless videos.”
The median where Sunday's crash happened is within a broader FDOT safety project proposed for State Road 200. The proposed work was aimed at improving safety along the corridor. Those plans weren't without local pushback — Ocala city officials fielded resident complaints in 2025 over altered turn lanes and increased intersection congestion tied to the roadwork, though the road itself is managed by the state.
Investigation Continues as Legal Questions Linger
Officers reported that neither driver showed signs of impairment, and the cause of the crash remains under investigation by police. Under Florida Statute § 316.130, pedestrians standing outside marked crosswalks are generally required to yield right-of-way to vehicles, while drivers still carry a legal duty to exercise due care for pedestrian safety, according to the Florida Senate.
SW College Road has long carried a grim safety record. FDOT historical traffic studies tallied 879 crashes along the corridor over a five-year span, including 496 injury crashes and eight pedestrian strikes, per the Ocala Gazette.
A Statewide and National Pattern
Florida's pedestrian danger extends well beyond Ocala. Statewide crash data from 2025 show the state logged 10,753 pedestrian collisions and 622 pedestrian deaths, with pedestrian deaths accounting for more than a fifth of all traffic deaths while pedestrian crashes made up under 3% of total crashes, according to USA Today. Federal data cited in that report ranks Florida fourth nationally in per-capita pedestrian fatality rates.
Nationally, pedestrian deaths have risen 48% over the past decade, according to fightingforfamilies.com. Pedestrian fatalities, the report found, have grown nearly seven times faster than the overall population.
For now, police have not released additional details on charges or citations, and the investigation into what caused the initial collision between the truck and the SUV remains ongoing.
