A 32-year-old woman was killed in a two-vehicle, t-bone crash at the intersection of State Road 11 and County Road 304, also known as Cody’s Corner, south of Bunnell this afternoon.
The crash took place at 4:20 p.m. when a blue sedan the woman was driving t-boned a Ford Excursion. The Excursion ended up on its roof, its mid-section on the driver side demolished. The sedan’s front was crumpled beyond recognition. It stayed on its wheels. Both vehicles ended up in the grass off SR11’s east shoulder, with debris covering SR 11 a few feet north of the intersection.
There are stop signs for traffic on 304, not on SR 11. The sedan was driving east on 304, according to a Florida Highway Patrol report, and the Excursion was traveling north on 11. The sedan violated the right-of-way of the Excursion by driving through a stop sign. The woman, from Port Orange, was pronounced deceased at the scene within minutes of the crash, after authorities had scrambled for, then cancelled, requests for an emergency helicopter.
The driver of the Excursion, a 53-year-old Weston man, was injured, but not with life-threatening injuries.
Flagler County Sheriff’s deputies were at the scene, regulating traffic, with the Florida Highway Patrol conducting the investigation. Flagler County Fiore Rescue responded to the scene, where the investigation was expected to last a few hours.
The intersection is among the most dangerous in the county, and before 2018 was one of the three most dangerous, along with U.S. 1 at Old Dixie Highway, and U.S. 1 at Matanzas Woods Parkway. Two people were killed at Cody’s Corner in a crash in 2015, others have been injured.
It was one of three locations planned for a roundabout in Flagler County to reduce deadly crashes, along with the two other dangerous locations. The Department of Transportation went ahead with construction of the roundabouts at both U.S. 1 locations starting in 2018. The roundabout for Cody’s Corner was in the design phase as late as April 2018. But the department gave up on that plan that summer, saying the project was on hold because, in a DOT spokesperson’s words, “Certain things have come up in our research that maybe we want to reconsider.”
There have been no fatalities at either intersections that have been replaced with roundabouts on U.S. 1 since those projects were completed in 2019 and 2020. The Department of Transportation favors roundabouts because while they may not reduce the total number of crashes, they significantly reduce the severity of crashes–and the number of fatalities.
Today’s crash at Cody’s Corner resulted in the 14th fatality of the year on Flagler roads, the 15th when the death of a 15-year-old pedestrian struck by a car on State Road A1A is included.
Trisha says
This is NOT a 4-way stop. Rt 11 has no stop sign, nor even a warning light. Very dangerous when people don’t look both ways when proceeding from 304.
The Geode says
I’m so paranoid about that intersection, I’ve gotten into the habit of taking 304 if I have to travel westbound on 11 because I can control myself at the stop sign – I can’t control some dumbass blowing through that stop sign as I travel down 11 @ 65 mph…
MLG says
Prayers for all those affected by this tragedy.
Sick of bad drivers says
People drive like idiots and seem to think that all stop signs are 4 way stops. On 305, at the intersection of 302, every. single day. , they stop, and then pull out in front of oncoming traffic and 305 is a through street. I hit someone there, who waited until literally, the very last second to pull out and there was no way I could avoid hitting him. Sunday, as I was heading north on 305, a group of bikers did the same thing – stopped and then pulled right out in front of me, turning left, no less. I always have my headlights on to be seen, and I was the only car coming, yet they seemed to think this was a good idea. I wish the county would either turn that intersection back into a 4 way stop, as everyone in Mondex and the area seems to think it is, or put a damn light there. The blinking light and signs are not enough. At least once a month, there is a bad accident there and 305 is a heavily traveled road, with logging trucks and produce trucks going 50 mph and above. People are idiots.
Katie says
I totally agree. It is definitely one of the scariest intersections I know. They need to put up a full ref, yellow and green light there. Same at Mahogany and 305. Both are very dangerous ‼️‼️😔
42 year in Florida says
I have lived out here since the 70’s one of the first 2 people out here! There has alway been a stop sign there people don’t obey the stop sign! There were even ridge on the road people just do what ever the hell they want now!We not need a Suicide circle there or a stoplight!
The Geode says
I’ve been here longer than you and that is BY FAR the most paranoid road for me to drive. Even as I approach the intersection and see a car at one of those stop signs, I am throwing up a silent prayer that this idiot doesn’t wait until I barrel down the road almost on top of them to decide to do something crazy…
CHRISTINE says
I am so sorry for the loss and injuries of the people involved. Round abouts are not the way to go tho.. I’m sorry but farm trucks, cattle trucks, excetra can not go around them.. how about putting a red light, try that first.
Jane Gentile-Youd says
How about stop signs and yellow flashing lights for starters.. Including signs “Dangerous intersection ahead “..unless such suggestions don’t comply with FDOT procedures
Frequent traveler of 304 says
There are all of those and rumble strips at this intersection. It has visibility in all directions. 11 is a high speed road and there are semis, logging trucks and speeding cars on it all the time. Anyone stopping on 304 and 11 should be very cautious – as they should at ANY stop at a through street. The people around here seem to think all stop signs are 4 way stops and pull out in front of traffic. As for roundabouts, they work, EXCEPT when people are too stupid to understand what YIELD means. It’s a pretty simple concept, but no one seems to be able to master this oh so difficult concept.
Lance Carroll says
I travel this area everyday of the week….very close to home. It seems to me that a, simple, traffic light would suffice for the safety of motorists through this intersection…..but, I’m just a dumbass that makes certain that I don’t enter that intersection while most folks are running around a 100mph along SR 11. Local folks, of Cody’s Corner , ain’t gonna get crashed at that intersection…..because we know about the danger involved with the high speed motorists along SR 11.
Pissed in PC says
I’ve used the roundabout at Matanzas and these people assume that if you’re in the right lane you’re automatically turning on matanzas and will just pull out in front of you to go around the circle when the other car is going to go north on US 1. So much for yielding.
land of no turn signalls says
This county is a disgrace….keep building but do not make the roads safe. I have lived here for over 17 years and have never seen anything like this. When I moved here there was a project called F.R.O.G that was completely funded by donations to build a splash pad at holland park…. Melissa Holland decided at last minuted to not allow the project….they could move to another site. Well that wasnt going to work …so the town got involved in the multi million dollar splash pad that is a total disaster!!!! I have watched in disbelief as this town has bought mold infected buildings (same realestate agent btw) after another…while you and me sit back and pay the price. Wise up people…you are the scapegoats of these greedy politicians who figure you are too old or too stupid to care!!
The roads cannot handle the additional traffic (how many people need to die), are poorly lit and there are no sidewalks for children to walk to and from school and bus stops!!!!! please stop this insanity and vote out the money hungry mayor and council who could give a rats ass about you or your family!!!
David Schaefer says
Thank You..
Denali says
It is one of those intersections with great visibility and no excuse for the numbers of accidents which happen, unless you take into account the idiot, self-centered, me first drivers so prevalent in Florida. You know, the ones who turn on red without stopping, the ones who turn right from the left lane and those who are so distracted that they either blow through a stop sign or fail to have the situational awareness to see someone cutting across the road in front of them. A roundabout is not needed, a better quality driver is.
Jimbo99 says
Was it higher volume peak traffic that this happened ? That’s out in the middle of nowhere from the Google map, who knows how bad traffic is about that time there ?
Earlier today in the residential, a child was riding their toys in a driveway overparked with cars & out into the street. Didn’t help that there was a pile of household furniture & debris for garbage pickup in the swale. One woman motorist nearly hit that kid.
With the growth in Flagler county there’s going to be a lot more of this. It’s one thing to build more houses & apartments, another thing to get the infrstructure of the roads to handle more people and traffic for safety. Roundabouts are not a solution for rural highways out in the middle of nowhere. Those are going to cause accidents when motorists come to them & aren’t expecting that roundabout to be there.
Cynthia Whiteman says
These roads are rarely busy and definitely rural. Both are 2 lane roads. Sad that this happened, but no excuse with the rumble strips and signs upon approach from the east.
Jimbo99 says
She wasn’t wearing a seatbelt, ran the stop sign. Let’s not blame the intersection or lack of a roundabout or traffic light there. She’s just a motorist that has poor driving skills & habits. Who in 2022 doesn’t buckle up driving a car ?
FlaglerLive says
“But in the United States, the responsibility for road safety largely falls on the individual sitting behind the wheel, or riding a bike, or crossing the street. American transportation departments, law-enforcement agencies, and news outlets frequently maintain that most crashes—indeed, 94 percent of them, according to the most widely circulated statistic—are solely due to human error. Blaming the bad decisions of road users implies that nobody else could have prevented them. That enables car companies to deflect attention from their decisions to add heft and height to the SUVs and trucks that make up an ever-larger portion of vehicle sales, and it allows traffic engineers to escape scrutiny for dangerous street designs.” David Zipper in the November Atlantic.
Jimbo99 says
Exactly, there have been a couple of fatalities in Flagler county at the most recently constructed round about near Matanzas Woods & US-1. One during construction in 2020, another earlier here in 2022. I was hoping to read posts from others with local knowledge about any of those roads or that specific intersection. I’m reading numbers out there from 65-100 mph. Those exceeding the posted speed limit need to be processed, just as those that run a stop sign need to be processed, that is unless the collision they cause doesn’t process them permanently. If one is tailgating another, perhaps the stop sign runner didn’t see the the other vehicle until it was too late ?
https://flaglerlive.com/150224/dennis-carr-corbin/
Amy Clay says
Where does this article state she wasn’t wearing a seatbelt? How callus and truly ugly you must be to not simply share condolences for those that loved her and are so very sad. Like me. I loved her.
FlaglerLive says
Not to justify Jimbo’s callousness, but the FHP report did note that the victim was not wearing a seatbelt.
Amy Carotenuto says
Very very sad for your loss. People should be more thoughtful in their comments. Some comments are just plain cruel.
Jimbo99 says
I wasn’t being callous, at any point after the collision it becomes a learning lesson for the rest of us. Flagler county is growing. I’m on record as already stating the roads & infrastructure is not ready for a population explosion of a new era of gridlock traffic. The fatalities are ringing up. That’s cause & effect, facts. I can hardly wait to read about fatalities when everyone that gets an EV can go faster than the 650+ HP gasoline club of motorists. If EV’s aren’t restricted for acceleration, the motorist is the sole person that’s responsible for that.
I’ll post it again, there are only so many roads that got N, S, E & W thru Flagler county. Building more homes, lanes will have to be widened on those few roads. A1A, Colbert, Old Kings Road, Belle Terre & US-1 are the main roads Flagler has N S. Build more homes and peak traffic ultimately ends up on those roads. For E W, FL-100 & Parkways are the only roads that traffic is on. Palm Coast & Flagler county is on it’s way to becoming Jacksonville or any other overpopulated larger city. It’s going to be one continuous school zone eventually.
Certain times of the traffic day, I refuse to even think I can attempt to make a left turn onto Belle Terre where there isn’t a light protecting that left turn. I live close enough to Whiteview. Pritchard and that’s just impossible to turn left. And they just keep building more houses & soon to be apartments to be overutilized by driving aged motorists. FL-100, the Costco or Wal-Mart land clear is going to make FL-100 a miserable experience to get to I-95. Every road in this county is going to experience significant impact of traffic increases at peak commute times. The old saying goes 3 lbs of poop in a 1 lb bag. It used to be 2 lbs of poop in that 1 lb bag, either way the 1 lb bag doesn’t hold any more than 1 lb of poop than it ever did. So what are we observing here. Increased traffic fatalities, road rage incidents, increased aggressive driving. It’s not hard to figure out these are the growing pains. The new normal and we have Alfin and the pro Flagler county growth. More FCSO officers, higher taxes, it’s all interrelated. FCSO can’t stop accidents. all they can do is issue citations for revenue, clean up the mess after the fact.
ULTRA MAGA says
What was the speed of vehicle on SR 11? At that time of day, both SR 100 and SR 11 are RACE TRACKS with vehicles traveling 80+ mph!
Dave says
How many more people have to die until a TRAFFIC LIGHT is placed at that intersection.
Flaglergal says
I agree that a traffic light would be effective. The roundabout is not going to be effective, in my opinion, as there are too many drivers who think they have the right of way regardless.
In addition, a traffic light can be seen at night.
The Geode says
If you can’t see a stop sign, feel rumble strips, or notice a bright-blinking warning sign – maybe you shouldn’t be driving at night …OR during the day
BIBLE BELIEVER says
hey people wakeup and stop speeding pallm coast is like the the daytona 500 with loud
mufflers and people racing to there death, thanks to the newyorkers this city is becoming
just like that.
John R Dance says
As a retired traffic homicide investigator, 28 yr FHP , there is nothing wrong with that intersection. Westbound 304 has a very large flashing warning sign prior to the intersection. Sorry for the deceased but you cant fix terrible drivers probably on the damn phone and how hard is it to look left and right maybe twice. I drive that route all the time, Codys corners does not need a damn roundabout.
Trailer Bob says
I agree. And yes, too many people do not pay attention when behind the wheel.
Trisha says
“Thanks to the newyorkers”?
It’s hard not to respond to this comment in sarcastic, snarky way so I’ll just stop here……
PS: I am a native Floridian, born and bred.
40 years in Florida says
Yep I agree with you! This is Florida . Maybe this people need to move back where they came from since this isn’t the Daytona 500
Believer says
Agreed!! Let’s call it what it was; An accident.
Airhead says
Gee, just wait until the “Flying Cars” are legalized to fly 50 ft off the ground but have to follow the existing asphalt roads.
How does one hang a STOP sign 50 ft in the air ? Asking for a friend.
JF says
I say the heck with all of the good ole boys and women that live out there. Build the damm round about and save lives. The people that live out there which are a select few were the ones bitching and complaining about the round about. Well sorry Charlie it ain’t the good ole days anymore and Andy Taylor ain’t the sheriff anymore all though he acts like it. We are growing and Cody’s corner well it isn’t up to you to decide weather or not a round about is put in or not so please stop bitching about it and have a little southern respect for the people who have lost their lives there over the years.
Lance Carroll says
It seems the DOT decided that the intersection at CR 304 and SR11 was not viable for a roundabout. As for the heck with the good ole boys comment, show some respect yourself. Cody’s Corner is a rural community with citizens who are very respectful…..and we are very aware of how many crashes happen at that intersection. Hence, we respectfully stop at the STOP sign and are very very careful of the unsafe drivers passing through Cody’s Corner.
Respectfully submitted,
Lance Carroll
Nick R says
Saying you’re being respectful doesn’t change you’re resisting the needs of the community because of your niche preferences. You’re being greedy. There’s no respect in that. We need to change the flow of traffic there to be safer.
John R Dance says
Thank You Lance, very well put and GOD BLESS US ALL, It seems like its always the roads fault, NOT.
Taters and Corn says
It’s a super dangerous intersection. All the Yankees should stay out of Haw Creek for their own safety. Us folks that live out here don’t wanna see you get hurt.
David Schaefer says
Many stupid people don’t even know what a roundabout is and what it does. Were not southern Florida natives but have lived here for 30 plus years so be careful what you wish for…
A.j says
Sorry for the lost 8f life. As someone said, it is not the the intersections or the lights, it is the people driving. Stop means stop. The signs are there for a reason. It is up to the drivers to obey the traffic laws. I used to use that road, it is tough but I always stopped at the stop sign on 304 and 11. People please be careful and drive safe. The life you save maybe yours.
Nick R says
American car infrastructure is not an altar for us to sacrifice ourselves upon. We should have every intersection safe, or we should have viable public transport and responsible civil design. The responsibility cannot rest with the individuals. This is a preposterous system.
Nick R says
“The responsibility for safe transportation cannot rest with the individual because we don’t have a hand in determining how the roads are laid and managed, and we have no viable transportation alternatives.” Is what I meant, to clarify. Obviously a great degree of responsibility does rest with an individual driver but I’m very passionate about this subject and hit submit too early.
Nick R says
American infrastructure being dedicated to cars instead of sustainable options like rail transit and shipping, coupled with walkable city designs is literally a cost paid not only in billions of dollars but in American lives. Why don’t we have a political party that cares about fixing this problem? Because we have enshrined the automobile industry in our economy, even though it is actively killing us.