PALM COAST, Flagler County, Fla., Sept. 27, 2026 — A 57-year-old Bunnell man died early on Saturday morning, September 26, after his pickup truck left US 1 and struck a tree in Flagler County. The Florida Highway Patrol said the crash happened just south of Education Way.
The pickup was headed south on US 1 at about 12:04 a.m. when it drifted into the center grass median and ditch. The driver steered back onto the pavement, and the truck began rotating clockwise as it crossed both southbound lanes.
The truck then went onto the grass shoulder on the opposite side of the highway. Its driver's side door struck a tree, and the pickup came to rest facing north next to the tree.
The driver was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities said he was not wearing a seat belt. His name has not been released, though his next of kin have been notified.
The Florida Highway Patrol has not said what caused the pickup to first leave the roadway. The crash remains under investigation.
We are deeply sorry for the loss suffered by the victim's family.
Seat Belts and Survival in Single-Vehicle Crashes
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 37,654 fatal traffic crashes occurred in 2023. A large share of those involved just one vehicle leaving the road and hitting a fixed object such as a tree, pole, or guardrail, the kind of crash that usually turns on a single factor: whether the people inside were belted in.
Seat belts keep occupants positioned against the seat when a vehicle rotates or comes to a sudden stop. Without one, a driver or passenger can be thrown across the cabin or partly out of the vehicle on impact, which raises the chance that a crash that might otherwise be survivable turns fatal. Speed compounds this: the faster a vehicle is moving when it leaves the roadway, the less distance and time there is to slow down before hitting something solid.
Rural highways like US 1, with grass medians, ditches, and roadside trees, present more fixed objects for a vehicle to strike than an interstate with a wide clear zone. That combination of higher speeds and less separation from obstacles is part of why single-vehicle, run-off-road crashes make up a steady share of fatal crash counts nationwide.
Frequently Asked Questions
What factors make a crash more likely to be fatal?
Speed, the presence of fixed objects like trees or poles near the roadway, and whether occupants were wearing seat belts all play a major role in whether a crash results in death or survivable injury.
How does speed affect the chances of surviving a crash?
Higher speed means more force at impact and less time to react or slow down. Even a modest increase in speed can significantly raise the severity of injuries in a single-vehicle crash.
Why does seat belt use matter so much?
A seat belt keeps an occupant in position during a sudden stop or rollover, reducing the chance of being thrown against the interior or ejected from the vehicle.
What should families do after a fatal crash?
Families can request the official crash report from the investigating agency, once released, and may want to speak with the coroner's or medical examiner's office for information on next steps.
What to Do After a Single-Vehicle Crash in Palm Coast, FL
If you witness or are involved in a single-vehicle crash, call 911 right away and stay clear of traffic while waiting for help. Even if injuries seem minor, a medical evaluation afterward can catch issues like internal injuries or concussions that are not immediately obvious.
Try to note details while they are fresh, including the time, weather, and road conditions, and get the responding agency's report number for your records. For families dealing with a loss like this one, reaching out to local support services or a grief counselor in the Palm Coast area can help in the days that follow.
