1 Killed In Deltona Crash On New Year's Eve

Date Added: January 01, 2023 11:06 am

Andrew Gant
Office of Public Affairs & Media Relations

1 KILLED IN DELTONA CRASH ON NEW YEAR’S EVE

A New Year’s Eve crash at a Deltona intersection took the life of a 24-year-old man whose car was hit by an oncoming vehicle late Saturday.

Deputies responded to the crash at Howland and Fort Smith boulevards around 11:26 p.m. Saturday. Brandon Michael Morales, the driver and sole occupant of a 2010 Kia wagon, was pronounced deceased at the scene by Deltona Fire Rescue personnel.

Evidence from the initial crash investigation indicates Morales was southbound on Howland, turning left onto Fort Smith, when he turned into the path of a northbound 2018 Dodge Charger. After impact with the Charger, Morales’ vehicle also hit another northbound vehicle, a 2003 Chevrolet pickup.

All parties involved in the crash remained on scene. The driver of the Dodge Charger was transported to an area hospital for treatment of minor injuries. The occupants of the Chevrolet pickup were not injured.

The VSO traffic crash investigation is continuing.

Note: Around 2:46 a.m., while the crash investigation was underway with the road blocked, a vehicle drove around a marked patrol car with its emergency lights flashing, around traffic cones, and through the yellow crime scene tape. Deputies stopped the vehicle and discovered the driver appeared to be impaired. After failing to complete field sobriety exercises, 30-year-old Bryan Morales Perez (DOB 6/23/1992) was arrested on charges of DUI and resisting an officer without violence. A cold, half-empty can of High Noon vodka and soda was recovered from Morales’ cupholder. A breath test at the VSO district office in Deltona later returned results of .180 and .173 g/210L. Morales was transported to the Volusia County Branch Jail and released Sunday morning after posting $1,500 bail.