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One Dead in Fatal Car Accident on SW 34th Street

UPDATE, 9:10 a.m.: The victim has been identified as Marion Rose Harvey, 51. According to Tobias, Harvey was rear-ended and pushed into a stationary truck in front of her.

"When officers arrived, she still had a pulse and CPR was performed, however her condition rapidly declined due to the traumatic injuries," Tobias said in a release. "She was pronounced dead at the ER."

UPDATE, 10:30 p.m.: The Gainesville Police Department announced via Twitter that SW 34th Street has been reopened.

Original Post: A female scooter driver in her 40s was killed Wednesday in an accident that occurred near the 34th Street Wall at 7:20 p.m.

Gainesville Police Department spokesman Ben Tobias said a northbound vehicle struck the scooter from behind, propelling the scooter into a pickup truck. As of about 9:30 p.m., GPD had identified the victim and was working on notifying the family.

"We do not believe that alcohol is a factor in the crash, and we’re not sure if any unlawful speed was a factor in the crash," Tobias said. "I know the vehicles that you see may indicate something different, may indicate a pretty high velocity, but our investigators still have a lot of work to do to figure out what’s going on."

At this point in the investigation, nothing has indicated fault or criminal activity; no citations have been issued nor will any be issued until the completion of the full investigation.

Tobias said he believes the driver of the northbound vehicle was taken to the hospital, but no other serious injuries have been reported. Those involved in the accident are "obviously rattled and shaken up a little bit."

“Any time that they’re involved in such a traumatic incident, it’s a very serious thing for them," he said. "What we do is we bring a crisis team, which works with the Alachua County Crisis Health Center. We have a team of counselors that will come out on scene and speak with these drivers because we understand that it’s a very traumatic time for them.”

Tobias estimated traffic delays lasting until at least 11 p.m. if not later.

"Whenever we have an investigation such as this, and you can see the debris field that was left by this unfortunate crash," he said, "we have to go through every single piece debris that’s on the roadway because even the smallest piece can tell us how the crash occurred."

Traffic is currently being diverted through the University of Florida's campus to Radio Road and SW 2nd Avenue.

 

Sydney Martin contributed to this report. 

Erica is a reporter who can be contacted by calling 352-392-6397 or emailing news@wuft.org.
Katie is a reporter who can be contacted by calling 352-392-6397 or emailing news@wuft.org.