Boy, 17, Twice Runs Over Woman, 84, Killing Her

DELTONA, Florida -- An 84-year-old woman was struck and killed by a vehicle while walking in a Deltona shopping plaza parking lot Saturday afternoon.  The Deltona woman was pronounced dead on scene.  The vehicle that struck her was driven by a 17-year-old boy from Orange City, Florida.  The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office is currently investigating the accident.

The tragic accident happened at about 4 p.m. in a shopping plaza at 1200 Deltona Boulevard.  The boy was with his family and they were preparing to go into a laundromat.  They had just unloaded their clothes while parked alongside a curb and the boy’s mother then told the boy to drive their van over to a parking spot. 

The boy was in the roadway in front of the businesses when his foot slipped off the brake and hit the accelerator.  Volusia Sheriff's deputies say that this caused the van to lurch forward, jump a small median curb in the parking lot, and then hit the victim as she was going to her car. 

The van kept moving forward, dragging the victim a short distance before releasing her.  The boy then circled around and stopped near where the woman had fallen.  He jumped out to check on her. But the van was still on and the parking brake wasn’t engaged.  The van rolled forward, striking the woman a second time and kept going until it nearly hit the front of one of the businesses.

The woman’s identity is being withheld pending notification of next of kin. The teen was cited for driving without a license, and the boy’s mother was also given a citation for knowingly allowing an unlicensed person to drive. The investigation is ongoing, but it’s believed that the incident was an accident and at this time no criminal charges are likely.