A 29-year-old Palm Coast woman was killed Friday night, May 1, after she lost control of her vehicle on U.S. 1 between Matanzas Woods Parkway and Old Kings Road, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
Katrina Lyn Hatzl, a resident of Buttermill Drive and a mother of two young daughters, was driving a Chevrolet Impala southbound in the inside lane of U.S. 1 near Sawmill Trace when, “for an unknown reason,” she lost control of the vehicle, FHP said in a preliminary statement.
The Impala ran off the road, veered into the center median, struck a guard rail with the driver’s side, and then struck a concrete embankment. The vehicle came to rest on its driver’s side in a creek.
A driver of a church van traveling on U.S. 1 witnessed the crash and called 911. According to dispatch records, the caller reported that the Impala had been traveling at speed before losing control on a turn, overcorrecting, striking the guard rail, and flipping into the creek.
The caller pulled over and went to the vehicle. He called out to Hatzl and received no response, the dispatch notes state. He entered the water and attempted to open a door but was unable to. He told the dispatcher the car was “crushed up real bad.”
The dispatcher placed an emergency medical helicopter on standby. Flagler County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrived first, followed by units from the Palm Coast Fire Department and Flagler County Fire Rescue.
Hatzl was pronounced deceased at the scene at 9:42 p.m. Extraction of the victim was completed about 10 minutes later, at approximately 9:52 p.m. Responders checked the surrounding area to confirm no other victims had been in the vehicle.
The scene was turned over to the Florida Highway Patrol at 10:30 p.m. for a traffic homicide investigation, which is standard procedure for any fatal crash in Florida. Traffic at the U.S. 1 and Matanzas Woods Parkway roundabout was shut down for several hours.
FHP has not released information about contributing factors. The investigation is ongoing.
The crash was the seventh fatality on Flagler County roads in 2026.
About Katrina Hatzl
Hatzl is survived by two young daughters, ages 5 and 2.
She had operated a small business originally called Katrina’s Crystals, which she more recently rebranded as Kat’s Crystal Creations.
Her family has not released a public statement.
This article will be updated as additional information becomes available.
