The Brief
- A 23-year-old Altoona woman died in a head-on collision with a dump truck on County Road 439 in Lake County.
- Good Samaritans rushed to help, with one providing comfort to the victim in her final moments.
- The crash highlights safety concerns on the busy road, which has seen 28 accidents in the past year, prompting calls for drivers to slow down and stay focused.
EUSTIS, Fla. – A 23-year-old woman from Altoona died Tuesday morning in a head-on collision with a dump truck on County Road 439 near County Road 44-A in Lake County.
‘It sounded like a bomb’
What we know:
The Florida Highway Patrol said the crash occurred at approximately 8:23 a.m. on Tuesday, when a 1994 dump truck traveling northbound on CR-439 encountered stopped traffic. The driver, a 28-year-old man from Leesburg, attempted to brake but veered into the southbound lane, colliding head-on with a 2019 Toyota Corolla.
The driver of the Corolla was transported to AdventHealth Waterman Hospital, where she was pronounced dead, troopers said. The dump truck driver was not injured and remained at the scene. Both directions of CR-439 were blocked for hours as authorities investigated.…