ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – The family of a woman killed in a crash on State Road 16 in St. Augustine earlier this month said they are still searching for answers and want someone held accountable.
Delinda Ronette Heinrich, 64, died after the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office said a speeding black Tesla struck her while she rode a motorized scooter just before 7:30 p.m. on July 8 at SR‑16 and North Ponce de Leon Boulevard.
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The vehicle then hit a camera pole and overturned in the parking lot of the Flagler Inn, the sheriff’s office said.
“He was speeding down SR‑16 when he hit the woman on the motorized scooter and continued driving before hitting a camera pole and overturning,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
Deputies had been alerted to a suspicious vehicle parked at a Circle K and reported the driver as reckless over the radio. Officials said deputies were not in pursuit when the crash occurred.
Heinrich’s mother, Betty Moore, said the family is trying to process the loss while pushing for a full accounting of what happened.
“I lost my daughter, my friend. I lost a piece of me that I’ll never get back,” Moore said.
She described Heinrich as lively and always smiling, and she said Heinrich was wearing a helmet and following the law when the crash happened.
The sheriff’s office released dash-cam video showing a black Tesla passing a deputy at high speed on SR‑16 moments before the vehicle struck the scooter rider and then crashed.
The Tesla’s 59‑year‑old driver was taken to a hospital with serious injuries; officials said another person also was hospitalized with serious injuries. Intersections in the area were temporarily closed while emergency crews responded.
Moore said she wants the investigation to lead to accountability.
“I hope that someone’s held accountable for my daughter’s death because she did not cause any of this,” she said.
The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating the crash and will determine whether any charges are warranted. Anyone with information is asked to contact FHP or the sheriff’s office.