A 40-year-old man was killed early Sunday after a head-on crash on State Road 710 in Martin County, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. The crash happened around 2 a.m. near State Road 710, also known as Beeline Highway, and Southwest Silver Fox Lane.
FHP said a 2015 Kia Optima was traveling north on State Road 710 when the driver crossed into the southbound lane and collided head-on with a 2021 Toyota Tundra. The front left of the Kia struck the front left of the Tundra. Upon impact, the Kia burst into flames and came to rest on the grass shoulder facing north. The Tundra came to rest facing southeast in the southbound lane. The driver of the Kia, a 40-year-old man, died at the scene. The driver of the Tundra, a 41-year-old man from Indiantown, was taken to the hospital via LifeStar medical helicopter.
Martin County Fire Rescue has responded to 42 vehicle accident-related calls on State Road 710 just this year. After a fatal crash in January, Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek called the road a death trap. Bill Townsend, who lives nearby, said the road has long been a concern for residents. "People don't pay a whole lot of attention to other people on the road, and kind of a dangerous road sometimes," Townsend said. "Everybody's always in a hurry. Just living here makes me worry about the young people learning to drive and learning to drive on that road concerns me, because I have young kids."
The Florida Department of Transportation has plans to widen the road from two lanes to four but construction is not expected to begin until 2031. "The question will be how many more people have to die before we get that project going. Florida touts that they have the safest roads in the country but this road is one that clearly is not in that category," Budensiek said in January. In the meantime, FDOT has begun improvements to the road, including pavement, markings, signage and new turn lanes. Townsend said faster action is needed. "It would be beneficial to the people that live and travel that road all the time if something happened faster," Townsend said.