BREVARD COUNTY, FL — A 20-year-old Palm Bay woman died late Sunday in a crash on Interstate 95 after a sequence of collisions began with an alligator in the roadway, Florida Highway Patrol said.
The crash happened just before midnight near mile marker 214 in Brevard County. Troopers said a driver from Canada hit the animal first, and the woman’s pickup then swerved, overturned, and threw her from the truck.
The First Hit
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, a 58-year-old man from Canada was driving south on I-95 in a Mercedes-Benz E-350 when he saw the alligator ahead. He could not avoid it, and the front of his vehicle struck the animal.
Troopers said the man was not hurt and stayed at the scene after the crash. He was the first driver involved in the chain of events that followed.
The Pickup
Behind the Mercedes, the woman was driving a Toyota Tacoma, FHP said. She swerved to avoid the crash in front of her, lost control, and the pickup overturned on the interstate.
Troopers said she was ejected from the truck and came to rest in the center lane. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Hit-And-Run
Florida Highway Patrol said an unknown vehicle then struck the woman in the roadway. The driver left the scene, and troopers have not identified that vehicle.
The agency did not say how fast either vehicle was moving or whether the roadway conditions played any role beyond the alligator in the travel lane.
Scene Details
The crash site was on a busy stretch of I-95 in Brevard County, near the area where traffic moves through central Florida’s Atlantic coast corridor. The interstate remained the focus of the investigation after the deadly sequence unfolded just before midnight.
FHP is asking witnesses or anyone with information to call *347 or Crimeline at 1-800-423-TIPS.
What Comes Next
Troopers are still piecing together the order of events after the woman was hit and the other driver fled. The case now centers on identifying the unknown vehicle and confirming exactly how the fatal crash happened.
Florida Highway Patrol released the information used in the case and continues to seek tips from the public. No additional injuries were reported.
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