Man struck, killed by box truck near Grace Marketplace in Gainesville: ‘It was horrible’
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (WCJB) — A man believed to be homeless was struck and killed by a box truck near Grace Marketplace Tuesday evening, according to Gainesville police.
Officers say they responded to a crash on Northeast 39th Avenue near the intersection of State Road 24 involving a pedestrian and a box truck around 6:30 p.m.
Police have not released the victim’s name to the public as of this report. Investigators believe the man was homeless, but said it’s unknown whether he lived at Grace Marketplace or in the surrounding area.
Witnesses told police the man may have walked into oncoming traffic and was not in a crosswalk at the time of the crash.
Heidi Cuffee, who lives nearby, described what she saw after the crash.
“The body was lying in the middle of the road with a bloody sheet over it; it was horrible,” Cuffee said.
Officials said it does not appear the driver of the box truck did anything wrong. The investigation is ongoing as police work to determine why the man was in the street.
Data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shows Florida is 45.1% above the national average in pedestrian fatalities.
Click here to subscribe to our newsletter.
Copyright 2026 WCJB. All rights reserved.
