PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. — A devastating four-vehicle crash on State Road 100 claimed the lives of three men Thursday night, triggering a massive emergency response and leaving local residents demanding urgent safety improvements on the dangerous thoroughfare.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP), the tragedy unfolded when an eastbound motorist attempted to pass two pickup trucks. In doing so, the driver crossed into the westbound lane, resulting in a violent head-on collision with an oncoming car occupied by two men in their 20s. Following the initial impact, the passing vehicle struck one of the pickup trucks involved in the flow of traffic.
Authorities confirmed that all three victims died at the scene. The deceased include a 64-year-old man from Alachua County and two men from Orlando, ages 23 and 26.
For local resident Kellie Mayes, who arrived at the scene with her 13-year-old daughter just minutes after the impact, the devastation was immediate and haunting. “The first thing that I noticed was a truck on fire,” Mayes said, describing a scene marked by wreckage, scattered debris, and a vehicle smoldering near a power pole. “I heard the screaming, the screeching… That scream was just very haunting to my ears, and it just was not a good scene at all.”
Mayes, who had been traveling on SR-100 to pick up her other child from work, described the realization of how close she came to the tragedy as “gut-wrenching.”
“If it was five minutes sooner that I might have left, it could have been me and my daughter,” Mayes said. “We cried the whole way home. It just makes me want to grab my children and just hold them closer.”
The crash forced authorities to shut down all lanes of SR-100 at Bardin Road for several hours while investigators worked to clear the wreckage and determine the precise sequence of events.
The incident has reignited long-standing frustrations among local drivers regarding the safety of the stretch of road. Mayes noted that she frequently encounters speeding and aggressive drivers while traveling on SR-100 and expressed concern over the apparent lack of a consistent law enforcement presence. Having recently seen her daughter mourn the loss of a friend’s mother on the same road, Mayes is calling on local officials to take immediate action, suggesting the installation of traffic signals or increased patrols to curb speeding.
“We need something to help slow down the amount of speeding that’s on that road,” Mayes said. “I don’t know if it will help, but I think we need something in place.”
When reached for comment regarding potential safety enhancements or planned infrastructure improvements for this stretch of SR-100, the Florida Department of Transportation did not immediately provide a response. An investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol remains ongoing.
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