Omari Linzell Williams was just trying to get groceries. The 18-year-old was walking along the westbound lane of North Boulevard around 6 p.m. Tuesday when a 30-year-old driver struck him. He was taken to St. Mary’s Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
Williams’ family told WFLX that he had left home to pick up groceries because the family did not have a vehicle. His aunt said he had no choice but to walk in the lane where the crash happened, because the other side of North Boulevard was impassable. “There was floodwaters on the opposite side of the road so he couldn’t walk on that side,” she said.
Investigators told WPTV that the driver was unable to see Williams before the collision. The driver was not injured and cooperated with investigators, and the traffic-homicide investigation remains ongoing, according to the same report from the station's coverage of the case.
Family Pushes for Sidewalks, Speed Bumps and Lights
Williams’ relatives are now raising their voices about the stretch of North Boulevard where he died, saying the corridor needs basic infrastructure that would let pedestrians walk safely without stepping into traffic. “We need sidewalks, we need speed bumps and we need lights,” his mother, Witney Williams, said. The family also said it plans to launch a petition carrying his name to push for those changes: “We’re gonna have a petition in Omari’s name to try to make that road a safer road.”
A candlelight vigil for Williams is planned for 6 p.m. Friday at Lakewood Park in the Fort Pierce area, giving family and neighbors a chance to gather and remember him. The family has also started a fundraiser to help cover funeral expenses, according to the same report.
A Pattern of Pedestrian Danger on St. Lucie Corridors
Williams’ death adds to a troubling pattern along roadways in the county where sidewalks are sparse or missing entirely. On Port St. Lucie Boulevard, there are no sidewalks along large sections of the corridor, and recent heavy rain left portions of the shoulder flooded, according to a report from CBS12. A Florida Department of Transportation project on that corridor is expected to widen its southern portion from two lanes to four and add sidewalks on both sides, with completion expected in winter 2028 at an estimated cost of about $25.6 million.
That same stretch of road was the site of another pedestrian death last month. A 14-year-old Treasure Coast High School student was walking along the edge of Southwest Port St. Lucie Boulevard near Squirrel Avenue on the morning of Oct. 7 when he was struck from behind by an SUV; he was pronounced clinically deceased two days later, per CBS12's reporting.
County Already Eyeing Fixes on Another Dangerous Stretch
St. Lucie County has acknowledged similar hazards elsewhere in the area. The sheriff's office said there had been 578 crashes on a section of Prima Vista Boulevard since 2020, according to WPTV. In response, the county planned to replace the center left-turn lanes between Airoso Boulevard and U.S. 1 with a raised median. County engineer Dan Zrallack said the change was designed to protect the drivers as well as pedestrians walking along the roadway.
Countywide, the numbers underscore the scale of the problem. There were 5,666 reportable traffic accidents in St. Lucie County in 2024, compared with 5,679 in 2023, according to a crash-statistics report from Gould Cooksey Fennell. That same report found 3,402 people were hurt in accidents in 2024, compared with 3,314 people in 2023.
Florida law generally requires pedestrians to use a sidewalk where one is provided, rather than walking in the portion of a roadway reserved for vehicles, according to Chapter 316 of the state's statutes. It is not established whether or how that statute applies to the conditions Williams faced on North Boulevard, and the traffic-homicide investigation into his death remains ongoing.
