Hazel Krauss, a 19-year-old UF student, was killed Saturday night when a vehicle struck her while she was crossing West University Avenue in Gainesville. The driver had swerved to avoid another vehicle, and the collision set off an ongoing Gainesville Police Department investigation.
Art Forgey of the Gainesville Police Department said the crash happened around 11:30 p.m. Saturday. A nurse at the scene responded to Krauss until emergency medical services arrived, and she was then taken to UF Health Shands Hospital, where she later died.
West University Avenue and the crash sequence
Forgey said the driver was traveling on West University Ave. when he swerved. The left side of his vehicle hit Krauss as she crossed the street, and the right side also hit the other vehicle involved in the collision.
That sequence leaves a narrow but important picture of the crash: the fatal strike happened during an evasive maneuver, not in a straight-line impact with a pedestrian crossing alone. The other vehicle was part of the collision as well, which is why the roadway scene required a police response and traffic control during the investigation.
Jack Bour and the separate DUI arrest
During that investigation, people online on YikYak tried to identify the driver, and some suggested Jack Bour, a 19-year-old Gainesville man, was involved. According to his arrest report, Bour was charged with driving under the influence after he drove around a police vehicle blocking traffic during the investigation.
Forgey said Bour’s arrest was separate from the initial incident, and no arrests had been made in the crash that killed Krauss. For readers following the case, the most immediate unanswered issue is what caused the driver to swerve in the first place.
