Counting 'em Down: For better or for worse, this is the Headline Surfer countdown of the 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 in the first two weeks of January, if not sooner, before switching to the Top 5 storylines -- the good, the bad & the ugly on the horizon in "2022: The Year That Lies Ahead."
BY HENRY FREDERICK / Headline Surfer
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- An elderly Daytona Beach resident passed away back in late August shortly after his vehicle was found in a retention pond inside the LPGA International subdivision.
First responders were called out to the intersection of Tournament Drive and Champions Drive at 3:40 p.m. Aug. 29, 2021), discovering a blue 2021 Ford Explorer completely submerged in water. Inside the vehicle was 75-year-old Wayne A. Martin, a resident of LPGA International.
Officers and firefighters with the Daytona Beach Fire Department pulled Martin out of the vehicle and attempted to revive him. Paramedics transported him from the scene to AdventHealth Daytona Beach, where he was pronounced dead shortly after arrival.
Investigators believe Martin was driving the Ford east on Tournament at a legal speed when the vehicle ran the stop sign at Champions without any apparent attempt to slow down. It then went over a curb, off the road, and into the retention pond located east of the intersection.
Investigators believe Martin was driving the Ford east on Tournament at a legal speed when the vehicle ran the stop sign at Champions without any apparent attempt to slow down. It then went over a curb, off the road, and into the retention pond located east of the intersection.
Apparently, Martin was the only person in the vehicle when the accident happened, and he may have had a medical episode while driving.
No other vehicles or people are believed to be involved. Charges are not pending in this incident.
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.