Florida Highway Patrol

Umatilla Man Killed after Losing Control of Car and Crashing into a Tree

Eustis, Inside Scoop, Umatilla, Unincorporated Lake / By Marilyn M. Aciego / January 13, 2024 / Eustis, Fatality, FHP, Florida, Lake County, Umatilla / 1 minute of reading

EUSTIS, Fla.—A Umatilla man was killed before daylight Saturday morning after losing control of his car and striking a tree, the Florida Highway Patrol said.

The 27-year-old man was driving a 2016 Nissan Versa north on County Road 439 near Dairy Road, in unicorporated Eustis, shortly before 5:15 a.m. when he lost control for an unknown reason, left the roadway and struck a tree, FHP Lt. Tara Crescenzi said. The man was transported to HCA Florida Lake Monroe Hospital in Sanford, where he was pronounced deceased.

The crash closed County Road 439 for more than five hours and remains under investigation, Crescenzi said.

About The Author

Marilyn M. Aciego

Publisher Marilyn M. Aciego was born and raised in Lake County and is a graduate of Umatilla High School and Lake-Sumter State College. She began her journalism career at LSSC and in 2023 she was honored with LSSC’s Distinguished Alumni Professional Achievement Award. She began working at the Daily Commercial while she was in college and continued her career there as a reporter after she graduated. In her 20+ year-career, she covered many of the area’s top stories including the disappearance of Trenton Duckett, the death of beloved Sheriff Chris Daniels, both in 2006 and an exclusive interview with then-Eustis Police Capt. Gary Winheim, who was ambushed and shot by a wanted felon in 2019. In addition to Inside Lake, Marilyn is the single mom of a teenaged son and the Florida Bureau Chief for an international media organization.

About The Author

Marilyn M. Aciego

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