Counting 'em Down: For better or for worse, this is the Headline Surfer countdown of 2021's Top 100 biggest news stories of Central Florida along the tourism-driven stretch of Interstate 4 (Orlando Attractions and east to I-95 & the World's Most Famous Beach in Daytona). Each recap segment is posted with its own headline, culminating with the unveiling of No. 1.
Photos for Headline Surfer / ABOVE: A Daytona Beach fire engine lays on its side after a deadly crash involving a motorist in a speeding Pontiac who was killed near Halifax Hospital in Daytona Beach on Saturday, March 6, 2021, the first weekend of Bik Week, in Daytona Beach, Florida. BELOW: Another shot of the damaged firetruck within a tweet posted by Daytona Beach Police Chief Jakari Young.
By HENRY FREDERICK / Headline Surfer
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- A 52-year-old Ormond Beach woman was killed and five City of Daytona Beach firefighters were hurt following a traffic crash between her car, a Pontiac, and a fire truck near Halifax Health Medical Center on the first Saturday of Bike Week 2021, though no motorcycles were involved.
Here is a synopsis of what occurred in the deadly crash on March 6, 2021, as described by Daytona Beach police in an email media alert to Headline Surfer: Officers with the Daytona Beach Police Department were called to the scene at 5:19 p.m. by members of the Daytona Beach Fire Department who were inside the fire truck when it flipped over following impact with the other vehicle involved, a silver Pontiac. DBPD’s Traffic Homicide Unit arrived shortly afterward to process the scene for evidence.
"Investigators believe the Pontiac was going around 80 miles per hour in the southbound lanes of North Clyde Morris Boulevard as it hit the tail end of the DBFD truck just before the intersection of West International Speedway Boulevard / U.S. 92, causing it to flip over, Daytona Beach police spokesman Messod Bendayan told Headline Surfer.
"Investigators believe the Pontiac was going around 80 miles per hour in the southbound lanes of North Clyde Morris Boulevard as it hit the tail end of the DBFD truck just before the intersection of West International Speedway Boulevard / U.S. 92, causing it to flip over, Daytona Beach police spokesman Messod Bendayan told Headline Surfer.
"The DBFD truck left the parking lot of the West Marine store nearby when it was struck by the Pontiac as it attempted to cross the southbound lanes of Clyde Morris in order to head north on Clyde Morris," the DBPD spokesman said.
Paramedics took the driver of the Pontiac to Halifax Health Medical Center, where she passed away from her injuries shortly after arrival. Officers have since notified the woman’s next of kin. Her name was not released.
Five firefighters in the DBPD fire truck suffered minor injuries and were treated on scene. Their names were not released either by police.
Bendayan said no charges are expected since the motorist in the speeding vehicle is dead.
Six bikers were killed in crashes during the 10-day annual motorcycle rally that draws upwards of half a million bikers in Central Florida with ground zero on Main Street in Daytona Beach and at Destination Daytona in nearby Ormond Beach.
About the Byline Writer: Henry Frederick is a member of the working press and publisher of Headline Surfer, the award-winning 24/7 internet news outlet launched in 2008, that serves greater Daytona Beach, Sanford & Orlando from Lake Mary, Florida via HeadlineSurfer.com. Frederick has amassed close to 150 award-winning bylines in print & online. He earned his Master of Arts in New Media Journalism from Full Sail University in 2019. He was a breaking news reporter (metro cops & courts beat) for the Daytona Beach News-Journal for nearly a decade. And Before that worked the same beat for The Journal-News/Gannett Suburban Newspapers in Rockland/Westchester counties, NY, dating back to 1989. Having witnessed the execution of serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Florida's death chamber and covering other high profile cases, Frederick has appeared on national crime documentary shows on Discovery ID, Reelz, and the Oxygen Network series "Snapped" for his analysis. • Award-Winning Journalism: Florida Press Club recognizes Headline Surfer for nine stories in 2020 statewide competition. • Award-Winning Journalism of Henry Frederick.