Overview
- A pickup truck struck and crushed the Dunlawton Avenue beach ramp toll booth in Daytona Beach Shores on Monday, killing longtime Volusia County attendant Tammy Jo Baker at the scene.
- Sheriffs identified the driver as Deanna Harrell, who was initially held under Florida’s Baker Act for a mental-health evaluation and has since been released; deputies say they now have an arrest warrant for vehicular homicide and are searching for her.
- Investigators reported a strong odor of alcohol in the truck and multiple 911 calls about erratic and wrong-way driving minutes before the crash, and officials are conducting breath and blood testing as the State Attorney’s Office reviews charges.
- Surveillance video and witness accounts show the truck continued onto the sand and toward the water before becoming stuck and bystanders pulled the driver from the vehicle, and the Dunlawton access ramp remains closed.
- The Baker Act allows short-term involuntary psychiatric detention, which delayed charging, and authorities say final criminal decisions will depend on toxicology, the vehicle search warrant and the prosecutor’s review, a process that could also prompt local reviews of beach vehicle-access safety.