Photo for Headline Surfer / TOP: The green driven by a 61-year-old Ormond Beach motorist is shown near the sunbathing victim, Colson Janey, 33, of Ocala, who was being treated on scene for multiple broken bones after being run over on April 7, 2025, on the beach in Ormond Beach, Florida. BELOW: Screenshot of Colson Janey in interview with WESH Ch. 2 Orlando.
By HENRY FREDERICK / Headline Surfer
ORMOND BEACH, Fla. -- A 33-year-old Ocala sunbather run over by a motorist in a Jeep on April 7 on the beach near the ramp to Cardinal Drive is expected to have a long recovery of at least three to four months.
The victim was lying on the sand when the accident happened. Janey sustained a broken femur, a fractured forearm, and other injuries.
Colson Janey, who spoke to WESH Ch. 2 Orlando from his bedside at Halifax Health Hospital in Daytona Beach, recalled that he was lying face down when he was jolted awake by the tire running over his head. "I was just screaming," Janey said. "Screaming my head off, screaming bloody murder, of course, because I was just in so much pain."
Colson Janey, who later spoke to WESH Ch. 2 Orlando from his bedside at Halifax Health Hospital in Daytona Beach, recalled that he was lying face down when he was jolted awake by the tire running over his head. "I was just screaming," Janey said. "Screaming my head off, screaming bloody murder, of course, because I was just in so much pain."
A 9-1-1 caller described the situation's severity. "The guy's alive," the caller said. "He's moaning very badly."
"Now I have a forearm that's broken in two places," Janey explained to WESH. "Both bones in the forearm, clean break. And then my femur, which was broken, that they just had to put a titanium rod in yesterday."
Janey is expected to have a long recovery period, potentially three to four months, he was told by the doctors.
Volusia Sheriff's Office officials said the Jeep driver, a 61-year-old woman from Ormond Beach, waited at the scene and was cooperating with the investigation.
She was cited for careless driving, the VSO said, adding, “There were no signs of impairment." The VSO declined to identify the Jeep driver, claiming the incident remains under investigation.
This was the second time this year a beachgoer has been run over by a motor vehicle while sunbathing on a Volusia County beach.
In February, a pickup truck backing out of a parking space in Daytona Beach drove over the head of a woman. The victim was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.
Previous-Related Coverage
Ormond Beach motorist cited for careless driving after backing onto sunbather near beach ramp in Ormond; Ocala man, 33, hospitalized with injuries to arm & thigh / Published: Mon, 04/07/2025 - 17:09
About the Byline Writer: