Elizabeth Braly was on vacation, walking the beach in Daytona Beach Shores one night 12 years ago, photographing the stars over the ocean.
Tammie Jo Baker had just started work on June 1 as an attendant at a beach tollbooth in Daytona Beach Shores.
Both women were at the Dunlawton beach ramp.
And they were both going about their days in seemingly safe situations when their lives suddenly ended in tragedy.
Braly was killed by a drunk driver whose car came crashing through the ramp, striking a gate and a tollbooth, June 24, 2014 .
Baker was killed when Deanna Harrell drove a pickup through the tollbooth, smashing it to pieces, according to records. Harrell had been drinking and admitted she was “buzzed” when she left a bar shortly before the June 1 crash, according to court records.
Harrell, 35, was arrested June 3 and charged with vehicular homicide and DUI manslaughter. Each is a second-degree felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison. The sheriff’s office is awaiting the results of a blood draw.
2 fatal wrecks, same Dunlawton approach, 14 years apart
The crash that took Baker’s life has brought back painful memories for Braly’s family in North Carolina.
“It was honestly a shock that it had happened same place, same exact spot as my mom,” Madison Fox, one of Braly’s daughters. “I really feel for that family because people are so selfish and don’t care about the consequences of their actions.”
The night Braly was killed, she was walking on the beach in front of the Dunlawton Avenue approach when a drunk driver in a Nissan Maxima crashed through the tollbooth and gate, according to a previous News-Journal story. The car then struck Braly, killing her. She was 45.
Shawn P. Doolan, who was 35 at the time and a New Smyrna Beach resident, was driving the Nissan. His blood alcohol content was 0.10, above the 0.08 at which a person is considered legally intoxicated, a News-Journal story stated.
Doolan pleaded no contest, was adjudicated guilty of DUI causing death and sentenced on Oct. 16, 2015, to 10 years and four months in prison followed by three years’ probation. His driver’s license was revoked for life.
He was released from prison on Aug. 7, 2024, after completing about 85% of his sentence, which is typical for inmates.
Braly’s family ‘heartbroken’ for Baker’s loved ones
Braly was walking on the beach to take pictures of the stars, said another of Braly’s daughters, Melissa Braly, 29, in an interview and text messages with The News-Journal this week.
She said she felt bad for Baker’s family when she learned of the crash on the Dunlawton ramp on June 1, so much like the incident that took her mother’s life.
“Our family is heartbroken for Tammie’s family,” Melissa Braly wrote in a text.
“I just hope that her family gets the justice that they deserve,“ she said.
Melissa Braly said she was 17 when her mother was killed. She said her mother has not been present for three graduations, three marriages and 12 grandchildren.
“She’s missed out on a lot,” Melissa Braly said.
She said a better barrier should be placed on the beach approach to protect pedestrians.
“I feel so bad for the lady’s family. My heart breaks for them,” Melissa Braly said.
Braly’s son: ‘A lot of similarities’ in Dunlawton beach ramp crashes
Braly family members said the two fatal accidents shared a number of things in common.
“It just had a lot of similarities to Mom’s accident,” said Jonathan Braly in a phone interview.
“Yeah, it’s just heartbreaking for families the way that it happened, the way that both accidents happened,” he said. “Just carelessness, people that have no business being behind the wheel of a car.”
He said both his mother and Baker were just going about their lives.
“You don’t think something unimaginable would happen walking on the beach at nighttime or midday doing your job,” Jonathan Braly said. “I wake up and go to work every day, and I’m thinking I’m going to make it home. I’m not thinking something like that is going to happen.”
Jonathan Braly was nearby on the beach when his mother was struck.
“I witnessed my mom die right in front of me. Over someone that just wanted to drink and drive,” Braly said.
Jonathan Braly said he believes barricades should be placed at all beach approaches and beach driving should be prohibited. He said a drunk driver on the beach could cause as much harm as one coming directly off the street and crashing through a gate.
He offered his condolences to Baker’s family.
“I know what they are going through. It’s tough and hard,” he said.
Man in 2014 Dunlawton ramp fatal sought early end to probation
Doolan, 47, who now resides in Port Orange, wrote a letter dated Feb. 27, 2026, to Circuit Judge Leah Case asking for early termination of his probation. He wrote he had “stayed out of any further issues” and had completed all the probation requirements.
The Braly family opposed Doolan’s request, writing in an April 1, 2026, letter to Case that Braly should serve his full probation.
“Our family will never see our loved one, Elizabeth Braly, again and have received a life sentence of pain, void and sadness,” according to the letter which listed the names of eight family members.
“Although Shawn Doolan states that he’s been compliant and reasserted himself back into society, our family feels he needs more monitoring to ensure his positive behavior continues,” the letter states.
Judge denies request from driver in deadly beach crash
Judge Case April 8, 2026, denied Doolan’s request.
The judge noted she reviewed the court file and that Assistant State Attorney Ashley McCarthy objected to Doolan’s early probation request.
Case will preside over Harrell’s case; McCarthy will prosecute.
McCarthy has filed a motion for pre-trial detention asking Case to order Harrell locked up while her case proceeds through the legal system.
A hearing on that motion is set for June 9.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Exclusive: Family of woman killed on Dunlawton ramp in 2014 share story
Reporting by Frank Fernandez, Daytona Beach News-Journal / The Daytona Beach News-Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Frank Fernandez, Daytona Beach News-Journal | USA TODAY Network
