Police are conducting a traffic homicide investigation after a DeLand man was ejected from the passenger seat of a pickup truck and hit by a car in Volusia County.
According to the Orange City Police Department, the fatal crash occurred at around 8:20 p.m. on Thursday, December 5, near the intersection of 17/92 and May Street in Orange City.
OCPD stated that an initial investigation revealed that 53-year-old Gianfranco Scirocco was a passenger in a 2017 white Chevrolet pickup truck that was being driven by a 54-year-old Orange City woman.
The pickup truck was traveling southbound on 17/92 when, for unknown reasons, Scirocco was ejected while the driver was attempting a U-turn near the intersection of 17/92 and May Street.
Witnesses told OCPD officers that the pickup truck was “driving erratically,” and the passenger door “continued to open and close” while the vehicle was traveling.
During the attempted U-turn, Scirocco was ejected, and he was then struck by a second vehicle – a 2003 Hyundai hatchback – that was traveling behind the pickup in the southbound inside lane of 17/92.
The police department stated that both vehicles immediately stopped, and police and fire rescue personnel were summoned to the scene of the crash. The Hyundai’s driver and sole occupant was identified as a 47-year-old man from Astor.
OCPD traffic homicide officers are conducting an investigation, which remains “active and ongoing.” No further details were provided by police.
If anyone has information regarding this accident, the Orange City Police Department asks that you contact traffic homicide investigators at 386-775-5474.