Fatal Crash Closes E Lake Drive in Casselberry, FHP Investigating

A crash at the intersection of East Lake Drive and Mary Drive in Casselberry turned fatal Friday evening, closing all eastbound and westbound lanes while the Florida Highway Patrol assumed control of the scene.

First reported as an injury collision at 5:37 p.m. on April 10, the crash was subsequently upgraded to a fatality. FHP serves as the lead investigating agency for fatal crashes on Seminole County roads. Drivers were advised to find alternate routes as the lane closure stretched through the evening; Orlando Health South Seminole Hospital is the primary trauma facility for critically injured patients transported from this corridor.

East Lake Drive has a well-documented history of serious and fatal crashes. Seminole County data showed at least 14 accidents at the nearby E Lake Drive and Bird Road intersection between March 2021 and late 2022, a concentration of collisions that prompted the county to commission a formal traffic study after three crashes occurred there in a single month. Despite public pressure, a county traffic engineer said prior studies had not demonstrated a sufficient warrant for a traffic signal at that intersection. Area resident Kendra McWilliams captured the frustration of those who live along the corridor: "Every time you're coming by you're seeing red flashing lights."

Friday's crash adds to a pattern of fatalities that have marked this stretch of road. On Thanksgiving night, November 24, 2022, 21-year-old Vincent Young of Casselberry was killed when his 2011 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R motorcycle collided with a 2011 Mazda CX-9 that pulled into his path while making a left turn near Bird Lane. Young had been riding alongside his best friend, Seth Bordner. That death was itself the second fatality on E Lake Drive within nine days.

A separate incident near Eagle Circle, just off East Lake Drive, killed a 63-year-old man who was struck in a hit-and-run while walking his dog. FHP tracked the suspect vehicle, a burned-out SUV, to an abandoned location roughly one mile from where the victim was found.

The county previously deployed targeted speed enforcement along E Lake Drive following prior fatal crashes, with speeding identified as a contributing factor in multiple incidents. FHP's investigation into Friday's fatality remains ongoing.