DELTONA, Fla.,None — A 15-year-old Deltona High School student died when he was thrown from the bed of a pickup truck along Interstate 4 in Volusia County.
The truck struck a guardrail and overturned at around 3 p.m. on Friday near Saxon Boulevard in Deltona. Troopers say the tread on one of the truck's tires had started to separate causing the crash.
Tyler Dreiling died in the crash. Fellow student Jose Calderon was in the passenger seat.
"He went left and then I heard something, the tire I guess," Calderon said.
Calderon said he was supposed to be sitting in the back of the truck, but Dreiling switched with him.
"He was like, 'You sit in the back,' and I was like, 'No.' He said he would sit in the back and he was playing on his cell phone and then the stuff happened," Calderon said.
The crash caused delays for several hours Friday afternoon along Interstate 4.
Charges are pending against the driver of the truck, Christopher Bader, because it's against the law for minors to ride in the bed of a truck. Bader was not seriously injured in the crash.
Calderon told WFTV that Bader knew the truck had a bad tire, but thought it was okay to drive on it.
Calderon walked away with some scratches and injuries to his wrist. But he can only think about his friend who he believes saved his life.
"It was almost me and, thanks to him, I'm alive," Calderon said.
WFTV
