Toll Booth Worker Dies After Driver Rams Beach Access Structure at 40 MPH

Clear Facts

• Tammy Jo Baker, 62, was killed when a pickup truck struck her toll booth at Dunlawton Avenue beach access ramp in Daytona Beach Shores
• The driver, identified as 35-year-old Deanna Harrell, struck the booth at approximately 40 mph before getting stuck in the sand near the water
• Authorities reported a heavy odor of alcohol coming from the vehicle and are testing the driver for possible impairment

A Florida toll booth attendant was killed Monday afternoon when a pickup truck driver slammed into her station at high speed before attempting to flee toward the ocean.

The fatal incident occurred around 12:40 p.m. at the Dunlawton Avenue beach access ramp in Daytona Beach Shores. Tammy Jo Baker, a longtime Volusia County employee who recently began working for the beach parking contractor, was just weeks away from celebrating her 63rd birthday.

Volusia Sheriff Mike Chitwood addressed the tragedy at the scene, providing details about the violent collision.

“Probably doing about 40 mph. And it crushes the toll taker’s booth,” Chitwood said.

Despite immediate efforts by lifeguards to perform CPR, Baker was pronounced dead at the scene. The sheriff indicated the impact was likely instantly fatal given the booth’s lightweight construction and the vehicle’s speed.

“I think she was probably close to being killed on impact,” Chitwood explained. “That booth isn’t made of anything, if you look at it. And you hit that thing at 40 miles an hour; there’s really nowhere to go. And it flipped the booth around, the force of that.”

After striking Baker’s station, the driver continued driving toward the water before attempting to turn around and becoming trapped in the sand. The driver was identified as 35-year-old Deanna Harrell.

Bystanders at the beach rushed to the stuck vehicle and pulled Harrell from the truck, according to authorities. Sheriff Chitwood noted that investigators detected a strong smell of alcohol emanating from the vehicle and that Harrell was being tested for possible impairment at the time of driving.

The incident marks another tragic loss of life involving suspected impaired driving in Florida. Baker’s death occurred while she was simply doing her job, serving beachgoers on what should have been an ordinary Monday afternoon.

“It’s just senseless,” Chitwood said of the veteran employee’s death.

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