OSTEEN -- State Road 415 has been a popular scenic route and an alternative for daytriipers heading east to New Smyrna Beach from Sanford, but it has also proven deadly as witnessed by Friday's head-on collision near Osteen where two motorists were burned beyond recognition, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
The 6:20 a.m. crash just south of Ashby Cove Road between a 1996 Chevrolet sport utility vehicle and a 2000 Lincoln, resulted in the deaths of a 22-year-old woman from Osteen and a 28-year-old woman from DeBary, the FHP said.
The cause of the accident is under investigation. Troopers were able to get identification on both victims, but were withholding the names until relatives can be contacted.
The scenic west-east route from Sanford to New Smyrna Beach is a popular drive and alternative to Interstate 4, especially for beach travelers, but has been the scene of deadly accidents over the last few decades.
Five people died in a four-vehicle collision near this accident scene back in 1993, the Orlando Sentinel reported for its story on Friday's deadly crash. In 1974, five people died when a van with five New Smyrna Beach residents inside was struck by a truck on the former Osteen Bridge after it was sent through wooden guardrails, the Sentinel reported. That bridge was later replaced with a concrete span.
Last May, a New Smyrna Beach man who was a passenger in a car was killeed in an accident on S.R. 415 and during Bike Week earlier in the year, a Port Orange biker was killed on the roadway when he was struck from behind by a car.