Sanford Woman Killed in Wrong-Way Crash on Kepler Road

A 27-year-old Sanford woman was killed early Wednesday when a Ford Edge traveling the wrong direction on Kepler Road near DeLand struck her vehicle head-on, the Florida Highway Patrol said.

The crash occurred at 3:14 a.m. on March 11 near Mimosa Lane, where the woman was driving her 2013 Honda Civic southbound when a 2007 Ford Edge, moving northbound in the southbound lane, hit her head-on. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities had not released her name, citing pending notification of family members.

The Ford Edge driver, a 33-year-old man from Oviedo, survived with minor injuries and was transported to Halifax Health Medical Center. FHP said troopers continue to investigate the crash, and the agency is asking anyone with information or footage from the area to contact them.

The impact caused severe damage to both vehicles, and the collision shut down a stretch of North Kepler Road while investigators documented the scene and cleared debris. WESH reported that drivers were directed to use International Speedway Boulevard and Minnesota Avenue as alternate routes during the closure.

The stretch where the crash occurred carries a troubling safety history. The Volusia-Flagler Transportation Planning Organization's Vision Zero Action Plan lists Kepler Road on its high-injury network, identifying it as a corridor where serious crashes recur and where safety improvements are a priority. The plan specifically points to targeted speed management and lane controls as measures that can reduce wrong-way and lane-departure crashes.

No charges or arrests had been reported as of Friday. The investigation remains open.