Overview

• On July 6 at about 4:20 p.m., a Vermont resident stopped in the southbound lanes of I-95 near Sebastian Boulevard in Indian River County to help a turtle cross the highway.
• A Mazda in the center lane braked to avoid the man, but a Dodge Ram driven by a 53-year-old Port St. Lucie man failed to stop and rear-ended it, triggering the collision.
• The first vehicle was propelled off the road into a fence and the pickup then struck the 77-year-old Good Samaritan, who was pronounced dead at the scene in the presence of his next of kin.
• Neither drivers nor passengers in the two vehicles were injured and the southbound lanes remained closed for hours before reopening following the Florida Highway Patrol’s investigation.
• The incident has renewed calls for better wildlife crossing warnings and highlighted the absence of legal protections for Good Samaritans on limited-access highways in Florida.