MARION COUNTY, FL (352today.com) – A 64-year-old Orange City woman was killed in a nearly head-on collision on a stretch SR 40 in the Ocala National Forest while trying to pass another vehicle on the morning of Friday, April 24, 2026.
According to a report by the Florida Highway Patrol, the woman was driving a van eastbound on SR 40, just west of SR 19, at nearly 9 a.m. when she pulled into the opposite lane in an attempt to pass a vehicle in front of her. She clipped the front left side of an SUV headed westbound, causing both drivers to lose control of their vehicles.
The second vehicle, the SUV, caught fire shortly after both vehicles came to rest.
The driver of the second vehicle, a 65-year-old woman from Ocklawaha, suffered serious injuries and was transported to HCA Florida Ocala Hospital by ambulance.
The driver of the van was pronounced dead at the scene by Marion County Fire & Rescue.