ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – A 21-year-old man died after being struck by a car Tuesday night in Orange County.
The crash occurred around 8:30 p.m. on Silver Star Road, near Orlando West Drive, troopers said.
According to an FHP crash report, a 2011 Hyundai Sonata was driving ahead of a 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe — both heading eastbound on Silver Star Road, approaching Orlando West Drive — while a man later identified as 21-year-old Taj Palmer walked in a northerly direction across the travel lanes of Silver Star Road.
The front left of the Sonata hit Palmer and the Santa Fe rear-ended the Sonata as a result, troopers said, adding Palmer was not in a marked crosswalk when he was struck.
The 34-year-old Orlando man driving the Sonata and the 53-year-old Orlando woman driving the Santa Fe were not hospitalized and remained at the scene.
Palmer was pronounced dead around 11:19 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 10, according to FHP.
“I just wanna know why,” said Ms. Proctor, Palmer’s mother. “It’s hard because I’m already dealing with another child that’s in the hospital. (…) It happened at the same time that my youngest son was going in for surgery.”
This year, Silver Star Road has seen at least eight pedestrian crashes between Mercy Drive and Good Homes Road. Friends say more needs to be done to prevent another tragedy.
“They need to put more signs at crosswalks like they have on the trail to prevent these kinds of things from happening,” said family friend Linda Harrell.
Palmer’s mother, sister, and friends describe him as loving and caring, with his whole life ahead of him. They say they are planning a memorial in his honor.
“I pray that God finds you and you get locked up for life, because you just took my son’s life,” Proctor said. “I won’t be able to see him anymore.”
The family has also set up a GoFundMe to help cover Palmer’s funeral expenses.
FHP says a traffic homicide investigation is still ongoing.
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