On Friday, May 1, 2026, at about 9:39 am, Vehicle 1, an unknown black passenger car was eastbound on SR-59 at milepost 14 passing traffic in oncoming lanes at a high rate of speed. Vehicle 2, a gold Chevy Avalanche was westbound and swerved onto the right shoulder to avoid vehicle 1. Vehicle 2 overcorrected and slid across SR-59 into the eastbound lane. Vehicle 3, a Chevy Malibu, swerved to the right to avoid vehicle 2, but was struck on the drivers side causing fatal injuries to the driver. Vehicle 2 stopped facing west in the eastbound lane. Vehicle 3 continued off the road to the right and rolled down a small embankment. Vehicle 4, a Harley Davidson, was following vehicle 3 eastbound and swerved left to miss the collision and brushed Vehicle 5, a Jeep Wrangler, before rolling in the dirt on the northbound side on SR-59.
The driver of vehicle number four was transported by ground in critical condition. The driver of vehicle number three was airlifted to the hospital in critical condition. As mentioned above, he later died from his injuries. Two other individuals were transported with non-life-threatening injuries. Eastbound lanes of traffic were closed during the investigation and traffic was alternated using the westbound lanes.
