SANTA ROSA COUNTY, FL. (THECOUNT) — A 23-year-old Brewton, Alabama woman was killed Saturday evening when a side-by-side UTV overturned on Lakefield Lane in Santa Rosa County, Florida, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. Four others aboard the UTV, including two young children, sustained minor injuries in the crash. Santa Rosa County is located in the western Florida Panhandle, bordering Alabama to the north, with Milton serving as the county seat.
The identity of the victim has not been released, pending the ongoing investigation.
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The crash occurred at approximately 6:55 p.m. at 2817 Lakefield Lane in the Brownsdale community of northern Santa Rosa County.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the side-by-side UTV was traveling eastbound on Lakefield Lane when it drifted onto the southern shoulder of the road. The operator overcorrected, causing the UTV to overturn and come to rest on its roof.
The 23-year-old passenger from Brewton was ejected from the UTV during the rollover and was pronounced dead a short time later.
The driver of the UTV, a woman from Jay, sustained minor injuries in the crash. The driver, 45, was not transported.
Three additional passengers also sustained minor injuries: a woman from Brewton, 67; a 2-year-old girl from Brewton; and a 1-year-old boy from Brewton.
The Florida Highway Patrol Traffic Homicide Unit is conducting a comprehensive investigation into the fatal crash.
Lakefield Lane is a rural roadway in the Brownsdale community of northern Santa Rosa County, situated in an agricultural and rural residential area close to the Florida-Alabama state line. The area is characterized by flat terrain, lightly paved rural roads, and sparse population density typical of the northern Panhandle interior.
Jay is a small town in the northern portion of Santa Rosa County, located approximately 50 miles northeast of Pensacola near the Alabama border. The town and surrounding unincorporated communities are known for agriculture and timber industries and sit in one of Florida’s few remaining oil-producing regions.
Brewton, Alabama, the hometown of the deceased and two other passengers, is a small city in Escambia County, Alabama, located approximately 30 miles north of the crash site across the state line. The proximity of Brewton to Santa Rosa County’s northern communities reflects the close geographic and cultural ties between the Florida Panhandle and rural southwest Alabama.
Santa Rosa County is part of the Pensacola metropolitan statistical area and has experienced significant population growth in its southern communities, while its northern reaches remain largely rural and agricultural.
UTV and ATV-related fatalities are a persistent safety concern in rural Florida communities, where off-road and side-by-side vehicles are commonly used for both recreational and agricultural purposes. The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles tracks off-road vehicle crash data as part of its statewide traffic safety initiatives.
View approximate crash location on Google Maps. (Location is approximate.)
The investigation remains active and ongoing.
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