Man, 61, Killed in Midnight Crash at US 1 and Royal Palms; ‘Alcohol and Cocaine All Over the Car’

A 61-year-old man was killed in a single-vehicle crash on U.S. 1 and Royal Palms Parkway in Palm Coast shortly after midnight this morning.

The cause of the crash is not known for now, but 911 dispatch notes report “alcohol and cocaine all over the car.” A subsequent field test confirmed that methamphetamines were in the vehicle, according to dispatchers’ notes.

The DeLand resident was driving a Jeep SUV north on US 1 when, just past Royal Palms Parkway, the Jeep veered off the road and into the median, where it collided with a tree, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. The Jeep then veered back onto the northbound lanes, where it came to a stop across both lanes, facing east.




A passing driver who reported the crash to 911 at 29 minutes after midnight used his truck to block the roadway before first responders arrived. CPR was in progress a few minutes after the crash and an emergency helicopter was placed on standby. The helicopter request was cancelled at 12:51 a.m. By then, a dose of Narcan, the neutralizing agent intended to restore more normal breathing, was administered. The dose was administered because of the drugs found in the car, according to 911 notes.

CPR went on for over half an hour. The patient was removed from the vehicle at 1:12 a.m. and transported by ground to AdventHealth Palm Coast. Around 10 a.m., FHP conducted the death notification to the next-of-kin. The man’s mother lives in Virginia. The highway’s northbound lanes were closed for several hours.

Numerous agencies responded, including several units of the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office, Flagler County Fire Rescue, the Palm Coast Fire Department and the Palm Coast Fire Police, along with FHP.

It was at the least the 20th road fatality of the year on Flagler or Palm Coast roads, the last occurring at the end of November as a woman–a pedestrian–was killed as she attempted to cross U.S. 1 in the same area: that incident took place just south of Royal Palms Parkway.