# Police Identify UF Freshman Killed on West University Avenue; Crash Inquiry Continues

Developing: Gainesville police identified the 19-year-old student struck Saturday night. An unrelated impaired-driving arrest at the blocked scene was not an arrest in the fatal collision.

By The Signal Edition | U.S. / Florida
Published: 2026-10-26T22:49:31Z
Updated: 2026-10-27T05:28:24Z
Canonical: https://www.thesignaledition.com/article/west-university-avenue-pedestrian-crash-jff6il
Image: https://www.thesignaledition.com/media/e652ebd8d240d60c2b7167b1a662c717.jpg (Pedestrians and cyclists cross West University Avenue at West 13th Street in Gainesville, Florida.; credit: Augustus Hoff / WUFT News)

## Summary
- Gainesville police identified the pedestrian as a 19-year-old University of Florida freshman.
- The preliminary account says an eastbound driver swerved to avoid another vehicle and struck her near West 23rd Street late October 24.
- A separate impaired-driving arrest at the blocked crash scene did not involve either driver in the fatal collision; police are still investigating.

## What investigators have confirmed

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Gainesville police have identified the pedestrian killed on West University Avenue as Hazel Krauss, a 19-year-old University of Florida freshman. Police said the collision happened at about 11:33 p.m. Saturday, October 24, in the 2300 block near West 23rd Street. Emergency crews took her to UF Health Shands Hospital, where she died. Mainstreet Daily News cited a police release issued Monday, while WUFT independently interviewed police spokesperson Art Forgey about the preliminary investigation. [1](https://www.mainstreetdailynews.com/news/vehicle-hits-kills-19-year-old-pedestrian-gainesville) [2](https://www.wuft.org/public-safety/2026-10-26/uf-freshman-killed-in-accident-while-crossing-university-avenue)

According to that preliminary account, a vehicle traveling east on West University Avenue swerved to avoid another vehicle, struck Krauss and then collided with the other vehicle. Forgey told WUFT that police had not established whether the vehicle being avoided stopped completely or merely slowed. He said Krauss was standing on the double yellow line in the roadway when she was struck. The sequence remains under investigation and does not establish legal fault or show what speed either driver was traveling. [1](https://www.mainstreetdailynews.com/news/vehicle-hits-kills-19-year-old-pedestrian-gainesville) [2](https://www.wuft.org/public-safety/2026-10-26/uf-freshman-killed-in-accident-while-crossing-university-avenue)

A nurse at the scene assisted Krauss until paramedics arrived, according to Mainstreet Daily News and WCJB. University officials confirmed to WCJB that she was a freshman in UF's Warrington College of Business. The Independent Florida Alligator reported that flowers were placed outside her sorority house on Sunday. These details describe the campus response; they do not change what investigators have established about the crash. [1](https://www.mainstreetdailynews.com/news/vehicle-hits-kills-19-year-old-pedestrian-gainesville) [3](https://www.wcjb.com/2026/10/26/university-florida-freshman-student-hit-killed-crossing-university-avenue/) [4](https://www.alligator.org/article/2026/10/uf-student-killed-west-univeristy-avenue)

## A separate arrest at the scene

WCJB reported that an impaired driver was arrested after entering the blocked crash scene, but that vehicle was not involved in the collision that killed Krauss. The Independent Florida Alligator reviewed the separate arrest report and said the driver went around a police vehicle blocking traffic during the investigation. The outlet also reported that online speculation had incorrectly linked that arrest to the fatal crash. No arrest of either driver involved in the collision had been announced in the police accounts available Monday. [3](https://www.wcjb.com/2026/10/26/university-florida-freshman-student-hit-killed-crossing-university-avenue/) [4](https://www.alligator.org/article/2026/10/uf-student-killed-west-univeristy-avenue)

Police have not released a final reconstruction, any citation in the fatal crash, or a finding that impairment, distraction or speeding caused it. WUFT reported that the inquiry was ongoing. The distinction between the separate arrest and the collision matters because investigators have not assigned responsibility for Krauss's death in the material reviewed for this update. [2](https://www.wuft.org/public-safety/2026-10-26/uf-freshman-killed-in-accident-while-crossing-university-avenue) [3](https://www.wcjb.com/2026/10/26/university-florida-freshman-student-hit-killed-crossing-university-avenue/) [4](https://www.alligator.org/article/2026/10/uf-student-killed-west-univeristy-avenue)

## The road and what comes next

University Avenue has been the subject of earlier pedestrian-safety efforts. WUFT reported that Gainesville accepted an $8 million federal transportation award in 2023 for a broader 4.1-mile corridor project, with proposals including raised crossings, bicycle lanes, transit-stop improvements and traffic-calming measures. That history supplies context for scrutiny of the road, but it cannot explain this collision without a completed investigation. [5](https://www.wuft.org/human-interest/2023-09-19/gainesville-accepts-8m-award-to-make-university-ave-safer)

The Gainesville Police Department said it would release additional information as it becomes available, according to Mainstreet Daily News. The central unanswered questions are why the vehicles moved as they did, what the final reconstruction shows and whether investigators will issue any citation or charge. Until those findings are released, the police account remains preliminary. [1](https://www.mainstreetdailynews.com/news/vehicle-hits-kills-19-year-old-pedestrian-gainesville) [2](https://www.wuft.org/public-safety/2026-10-26/uf-freshman-killed-in-accident-while-crossing-university-avenue)

## Reporting sources
1. [Mainstreet Daily News: Vehicle hits, kills 19-year-old UF student on West University Avenue in Gainesville](https://www.mainstreetdailynews.com/news/vehicle-hits-kills-19-year-old-pedestrian-gainesville) (2026-10-26)
2. [WUFT: UF freshman killed in accident while crossing University Avenue](https://www.wuft.org/public-safety/2026-10-26/uf-freshman-killed-in-accident-while-crossing-university-avenue) (2026-10-26)
3. [WCJB: University of Florida freshman hit and killed crossing University Avenue, Gainesville officers say](https://www.wcjb.com/2026/10/26/university-florida-freshman-student-hit-killed-crossing-university-avenue/) (2026-10-26)
4. [The Independent Florida Alligator: 19-year-old UF student killed while crossing West University Avenue](https://www.alligator.org/article/2026/10/uf-student-killed-west-univeristy-avenue) (2026-10-26)
5. [WUFT: Gainesville accepts $8 million award to make University Avenue safer](https://www.wuft.org/human-interest/2023-09-19/gainesville-accepts-8m-award-to-make-university-ave-safer) (2023-09-19)