Volusia County’s beaches have a long history of beach driving, and injuries and fatalities involving vehicles and pedestrians.
The most recent injury came two weeks ago when an 84-year-old woman from DeLeon Springs ran over a 71-year-old woman from New York, according to the Volusia Sheriff’s Office. The truck’s tire went over her head, but she was in stable condition after the accident.
The 71-year-old woman was sitting in an appropriate area, Volusia County Beach Safety Director Tammy Malphurs said. The truck driver said she didn’t realize she hit the woman.
Incidents like these, which happen even though Volusia County has safety rules, tend to reignite debate on whether beach driving should be allowed.
Here’s a look at some of the other incidents in recent years, as previously reported.
Beach Safety sergeant hits two teens on beach
On Memorial Day in 2024, then-Beach Safety Sgt. Arthur Gendreau hit two 18-year-old women with a marked work truck. He had been parked talking with another Beach Safety official and did not walk around the truck before driving off as required by policy, according to a county government memo.
The women were injured but survived.
Multiple vehicle strikes on Volusia County beaches involved children
A 7-year-old girl had several hip fractures after a truck ran over her on Easter Sunday in 2015 in Daytona Beach. The girl was running when she tripped and fell and stumbled in front of a pickup truck.
In 2017, a driver leaving Ormond Beach hit a 4-year-old boy. In 2010, two children died after being hit by vehicles on the beach. The same year, a Beach Patrol truck ran over a woman in her chair. She suffered a broken leg.
Kansas teacher run over on Daytona Beach Shores
Erin Joynt, then 33, was sunbathing in 2011 on Daytona Beach Shores when a lifeguard ran over her head with a truck. She had broken bones and other injuries and sued. She spoke on the “Today” show about the incident.
Reviews find dozens of accidents
A traffic engineering firm found 36 vehicle accidents involving pedestrians on Volusia County beaches between Jan. 1, 2005, and April 30, 2010.
In 2015, a News-Journal review found about 50 accidents involving pedestrians on Volusia County beaches over the 10 years prior. Thirty-two of the accidents involved trucks and cars and the rest involved ATVs, sport utility vehicles, golf carts and a bicycle.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Volusia beaches have seen many injuries, fatalities related to driving
