At around 9:40 p.m. last night, Friday, October 7, 2022, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office responded to a vehicle crash that resulted in the death of a pedestrian. The crash occurred on U.S. 27 near Charles Street in the Sun Ray area near Frostproof.
According to the investigation so far, 28-year-old Evelio Hernandez Ramos had just purchased a case of beer from the Sunoco convenience store, located on the east side of the highway and was walking across to the west side of the highway approximately 75 feet south of Charles Street.
At the same time, 17-year-old Brooke Bourn of Fort Meade was driving an orange 2020 Volkswagen Jetta southbound in the outside lane of U.S. 27, when she struck Mr. Ramos. Ms. Bourn immediately stopped and cooperated with law enforcement.
Mr. Ramos died at the scene.
Ms. Bourn was uninjured.
A witness told detectives that Mr. Ramos had just received a phone call and was talking on his phone when he was struck by the Volkswagen.
Neither excessive speed nor distracted driving are suspected as factors in the crash. There are no sidewalks nor pedestrian crosswalks in this area. Mr. Ramos was wearing dark colored clothing at the time of the crash.
Southbound U.S. 27 in the area of the crash was closed for approximately 3 hours during the investigation, which is ongoing.
