Traffic death: Man crashed his car and started walking on CR 315. A pickup truck hit him.
A pedestrian walking along a dark stretch of roadway was hit and killed by a vehicle early Saturday. Here is what we know about the crash:
Where? At County Road 315 and Northeast 144 Place in Fort McCoy.
Investigating agency: Florida Highway Patrol.
What happened? Troopers on scene said the walker previously had been driving a Chevy El Camino that ended up in a ditch on CR 315.
The driver, later identified as a man, got out of the car and apparently decided to walk. FHP officials said a Chevy pickup truck was northbound on CR 315. The pedestrian was walking in the roadway when the truck struck the man.
The pickup driver stopped and called 911, officials said. The area where the crash occurred is unlit.
Who's the pedestrian? Authorities said only that he was 47 years old and from Interlachen. A relative told troopers the victim had crashed the El Camino.
The distance between where the vehicle crashed and where the victim died is about two miles. As to where he was going, the relative did not know.
What about the Chevy driver? Troopers said he's 19 from Fort McCoy and was on his way home. He was the only person in the truck, troopers said.
What time did the crash happened? Troopers said they were dispatched at 12:24 a.m. and arrived at 12:47 a.m.
Investigation: As is customary with fatalities or serious crashes, troopers requested a blood draw from the driver to determine if he was impaired. In this instance, the driver of the pickup truck voluntarily gave a blood sample.
Blockage: The two-lane roadway was blocked in both directions so troopers could take pictures, interview those connected to the crash and wait for the Medical Examiner's Office to respond to pick up the body.
Other deaths: Saturday's traffic fatality was the fourth of the year and the second since Thursday. Last year, troopers recorded 91 traffic deaths. In 2022, the number was 99. The figures do not include numbers from the cities of Ocala, Belleview or Dunnellon.
Traffic deaths: Two more fatal crashes; Marion traffic deaths reach 11 in January
FHP traffic homicide investigators not only investigate fatalities in Marion, but also Levy County. The investigators who were at the scene of Saturday's incident were at Thursday's fatality located off Interstate 75, and also responded to two separate traffic deaths in Levy County on Friday that took place roughly two hours apart.
Contact Austin L. Miller at austin.miller@starbanner.com
This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Traffic death: CR 315 in Fort McCoy, Florida
