84-Year-Old Dies After Car Plunges From Downtown Parking Garage

An 84-year-old woman died Friday afternoon when her vehicle fell from the fifth floor of a downtown parking garage, landing on a sidewalk. The incident occurred around 2:30 p.m. on October 10, 2026, as the woman drove northbound on the fifth level of the parking structure at 1088 Bishop Street.

Florida Highway Patrol reported the vehicle broke through a retaining wall before falling approximately five stories. Emergency crews arrived at the scene shortly before 3 p.m. and found the SUV crushed upside down on the sidewalk next to a convenience store. Damage was visible on the fourth-floor railing of the parking structure directly above the impact site. Paramedics pronounced the woman deceased at the scene. Police confirmed she was wearing a seatbelt.

The street was temporarily closed between Bishop and Bethel streets for the investigation. Officials have not yet determined contributing factors to the crash. This incident marks the fourth non-traffic fatality on the state's roadways this year, compared to zero at the same point in 2025.