Incidents

Police ID woman who died after falling from I-4 overpass following crash

ORLANDO, Fla. — A woman who died after being hit by a car and falling from an Interstate 4 overpass following a crash Friday morning in downtown Orlando has been identified, police said.

Police said Michelle Batista, 38, was standing outside her car on I-4 following a crash when another vehicle struck her, causing her to fall off the overpass onto the road below.

Police said the crash happened at about 9:15 a.m. on eastbound I-4 near West Central Boulevard in downtown Orlando. Officers said Batista fell onto North Garland Avenue.

Read: Man arrested after crashing into two Orange County patrol cars on I-4, troopers say

Larry Brinson said he was at the corner of North Garland Avenue and West Central Boulevard when the crash happened.

“I blocked traffic with my vehicle, and then I called 911 and I reassured her that help was on the way,” Brinson said.

Officers said Batista was taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center, where she died.

Read: Police conduct death investigation at Winter Park mansion

Ulises Rodriguez said he was leaving a nearby bank when he heard the crash.

“I heard screeching of tires and saw a maroon vehicle slam into the back of another vehicle going about 40 to 50 mph,” Rodriguez said.

The investigation into the crash caused multiple lanes of eastbound I-4 to be closed for hours.

Sarah Wilson

Sarah Wilson, WFTV.com

Sarah Wilson joined WFTV Channel 9 in 2018 as a digital producer after working as an award-winning newspaper reporter for nearly a decade in various communities across Central Florida.