A 20-year-old woman in Florida was killed in a chain-reaction crash caused by an alligator on the road, just hours before she was due to be sworn in as a correctional officer alongside her stepfather, a sheriff's deputy. Cassi Taylor was driving behind another vehicle on a highway in Titusville when its driver struck and killed an alligator that had wandered onto the road; Taylor swerved to avoid the collision, lost control of her pick-up truck and was thrown from the vehicle after failing to wear a seatbelt, before being struck and killed by a third driver who fled the scene.

The crash occurred on 30 August on a southbound highway in Titusville, with Taylor pronounced dead at the scene. Her stepfather, Deputy Scott Burke, had only recently joined Indian River County Sheriff's Office, and colleagues paid tribute to her online. A GoFundMe organised by a family friend to cover funeral costs raised nearly $14,800, exceeding its $7,500 target, with proceeds split between her parents for separate memorial services. Florida Highway Patrol is still trying to trace the driver who hit and abandoned Taylor, urging anyone with information to come forward; officials note such alligator-related collisions are rare but more common between July and September during mating season.