At least 20 individuals have died this year on Marion County roadways by way of fatal accidents, including nine pedestrians and seven motorcyclists.
According to data from the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV), through May 3, nearly 2,000 accidents (1,952) have occurred throughout Marion County. Those crashes have resulted in approximately 1,636 injuries and at least 20 fatalities.
At least 45 of the accidents involved pedestrians, including nine who were killed as a result of the injuries sustained during the accident. At least four of those fatal pedestrian accidents took place on U.S. Highway 441, according to previous reporting by Ocala-News.com.
Around 66 motorcycle crashes have also been reported this year, with seven motorcyclists losing their lives as a result of those incidents. One individual was killed just last week after a pickup truck turned into the path of his motorcycle while both were traveling along County Road 42.
The report also denotes that there have been 28 bicycle crashes, although none of those have resulted in fatalities.
Locally, Lake County has recorded 26 traffic fatalities this year, Alachua County has recorded 15, and Sumter County has recorded six.
In 2024, Marion County recorded 113 fatalities as a result of motor vehicle accidents, according to FLHSMV. During that year, approximately 13 motorcyclists and 21 pedestrians were killed, and the county experienced at least 1,351 hit-and-run crashes, resulting in seven hit-and-run fatalities.
Earlier this year, the FLHSMV reported that Marion County had more alcohol-related traffic fatalities than 63 of 67 counties in Florida in 2023. This year, the county has recorded at least four alcohol-related traffic fatalities, and at least two that were drug-related.
The report also notes that there have been approximately 343 hit-and-run crashes in Marion County through May 1. None of those accidents resulted in fatalities, according to FLHSMV.
Last year, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported that Ocala had the third-highest rate of fatal accidents in the country during 2022, which represented the most recently available data at the time.
That report showed that, over the past ten years, Marion County’s fatal accident rate has been consistently higher than the average rate across the state of Florida, at times even doubling it.
For more information on the fatal accidents that occur in the county, or state, visit the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles Traffic Crash Reports online.