Crashes Take Lives of Two and Send Others to Area Hospitals

ALACHUA COUNTY ‒ The High Springs Police Department (HSPD) was called to the scene of a two-vehicle crash on Wednesday, Nov. 11, at 11:16 a.m. The crash occurred at 19143 N.W. Highway 441 in High Springs.

High Springs resident Steven Arnold Hillard, 35, was driving a 1999 Jeep Cherokee as he crossed the northbound lane of U.S. Highway 441 near CVS Pharmacy. A 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe driven by 26-year-old Miranda Danielle Spangler of Lake Butler, was westbound on U.S. Highway 441.

Hilliard appeared to have a medical condition before the incident and does not remember what happened or why he crossed the road in front of the Hyundai.

He was transported to Shands UF due to his medical episode preceding the accident and was not cited for the offense of violation of the right-of-way. Both drivers were wearing seatbelts at the time of the crash and Spangler reported no injury following the incident.

In Alachua, the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) was called to the scene of a vehicle verses pedestrian incident on Thursday, Nov. 12, at 6:29 a.m. A silver Mitsubishi, driven by a 38-year-old male from Gainesville, was traveling south on N.W. U.S. Highway 441 when it struck a 40-year-old man from Alachua within the intersection of Northwest 147^th Drive in the city of Alachua.

The pedestrian was pronounced deceased at the scene by Alachua County Fire Rescue.

The incident is still under investigation by FHP.

In LaCrosse, a 36-year-old Alachua woman lost her life in a crash on Sunday, Nov. 15, when she apparently ran a stop sign while driving a Dodge van west on Northwest 156^th Avenue at County Road 231. The incident occurred just south of LaCrosse. The driver of the van, Kathrine L. Collins of Peggy Road, was pronounced deceased at the site.

The Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) reported that 19-year-old Tyga J. Hunter of Gainesville was driving a Nissan truck north on CR 231 and hit the driver’s side of Collins’ van. Following impact, Hunter’s truck flipped over once and landed on top of a fence.

The Jaws of Life were required by Alachua County Fire Rescue paramedics to extricate Hunter from the truck. She was transported to Shands UF for treatment.

According to reports, northbound traffic was diverted and the southbound lanes of CR 231 were backed up for almost three hours while firefighters from LaCrosse, Waldo and Alachua County cleared the scene.

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