MELBOURNE, Fla. – Two men fishing on a causeway in Melbourne late Monday were struck by a sport utility vehicle and killed, officials said.
Justin Laine Mitchell, 25, of Indian Harbour Beach, and Ronald Garrett Viccaro, who would have turned 25 on Wednesday, were killed in the crash, which occurred around 11:45 p.m. on the Eau Gallie Causeway.
A third fisherman, 41-year-old Jeffrey Forrest Vanreenen, of Melbourne, was hospitalized in the crash. He was taken to Holmes Regional Medical Center in stable condition.
Melbourne police said it appears the SUV, driven by 43-year-old Vince Curtis Worbington, of West Melbourne, was traveling westbound on Eau Gallie Boulevard and struck the trio, who were fishing on the north shoulder of the roadway.
One of the men was pushed into the Indian River, and his body was recovered, police said.
Worbington was cooperating with troopers and Melbourne police said no charges have been filed in the case.
Mitchell's mother told Local 6 News that her son graduated from the University of Florida with a degree in wildlife ecology in December and had recently moved back home.
She said he often fished with Viccaro, who went by the name Garrett. Viccaro was a chef in Kissimmee, and he and Mitchell grew up in Indian Harbour Beach and were best friends since elementary school, Mitchell's mother said.
An investigation is ongoing.
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