No change to troubled Orange County exit as driver who crashes into body of water dies

ORLANDO, Florida. – News 6 has learned that the driver who sailed away from the East Orange County exit and landed in the retention pond on the Alafaya Trail has now died.

Two weeks ago, rescuers raced to save the driver’s life, and then the next day, Orange County promised to make the State Road 408 exit safer by the end of the week.

But two weeks later, News 6 returned to the crossroads and noticed that nothing had changed.

The driver’s mother, Elvia Rivera, also noticed. After her son’s death, Rivera continued to lay flowers and balloons on the Alafay Trail in front of the reservoir.

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Rivera said that Christian Bodden died hours after his Mazda drowned in a settling pond.

So far, the fundraising page has raised nearly $2,500 for the children left behind by Bodden.

A family member wrote that Bodden was underwater for 20 minutes. Soldiers said Bodden missed a traffic light at the bottom of exit 408 and crashed into a body of water at high speed.

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In 2015, UCF student Chloe Arenas was also killed when she drove into the water after exiting the 408. Her mother believes she fell asleep.

Following the Bodden crash, Orange County Public Works said it would increase yellow warning signs at the end of the road, add reflective striping, and place permanent flashing beacons at the bottom of the ramp by the end of that week.

Orange County Public Works spokesman Darrell Moody said crews have already received a work order and installation is scheduled for next week. Moody said the delay was due to crews “having to order certain materials and it takes time to deliver, but we’re speeding up the installation.”

After that, according to Moody, engineers will consider installing a fence or a pole-type barrier.

Rivera said the barrier would prevent future deaths.

“We need a barrier because otherwise he wouldn’t die,” Rivera said.

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texasstandard.news contributed to this report.

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