Driver identified — but little else is known

Historic City News has learned the identity, but little else, of the driver killed on Pomont Avenue and Usina Street in a single-car collision in St Augustine on Wednesday before 6:00 a.m.

The District 23 Medical Examiner, Dr. Predag Bulic, has positively identified the remains through dental records as those of 31 year-old Ryan Christopher Meharg; who was living on Pomont Avenue at the time.

St Johns County Sheriff’s Sergeant Charles E. Mulligan told Historic City News that no foul play is suspected, however, the death is being treated as any other traffic homicide at this time.

It may be another week before toxicology results can confirm if alcohol, or drugs, played a role in the fatal collision and Meharg’s death. Dr. Bulic is continuing his investigation and will release his findings regarding the cause of death once all of the evidence is evaluated.

The cause of the collision is also being investigated by multiple agencies. Meharg, believed to have been the sole occupant of the 2008 Nissan 4-door passenger car, was located in a ditch; where the vehicle apparently left the roadway and struck a tree. By the time firefighters arrived, both the interior and portions of the exterior of the vehicle were engulfed in flames.

“Detectives are still investigating the crash dynamics as well as the origin and cause of the fire,” Mulligan told reporters.