Around 4:10 a.m. Saturday, two vehicles crashed on State Road 44 about two miles west of the Volusia County line, leaving a Leesburg teenager dead and seriously injuring four others.
According to a news release from the Florida Highway Patrol, the reason for the crash is now unknown. The crash is still being investigated.
However, the agency has published preliminary information.
The crash occurred in Lake County at Cummer Road and Forest Drive, some miles from downtown DeLand. It involves a 2011 Dodge Ram pickup and a 2015 Dodge Charger automobile.
A 43-year-old DeLand man was driving alone east on S.R. 44, while an 18-year-old Fruitland Park man was going west in his Charger with three passengers.
At some time, the pickup truck’s right front collided with the Charger’s right front.
A 17-year-old Leesburg girl who was a passenger in the Charger died at the scene. Serious injuries befell the driver and other passengers in the Charger, including a 17-year-old girl from Leesburg and an 18-year-old guy from Fruitland Park. The driver wore a seatbelt, but it was unclear whether the passengers did. First responders transported the survivors from the Charger to HCA Lake Monroe Hospital.
First responders transported the pickup truck driver to AdventHealth DeLand with critical injuries. He wore a seatbelt.