UPDATE: ONE PERSON NOW CONFIRMED DEAD.
UPDATE at 1:54 p.m. Monday, March 9, 2026: One person is now confirmed dead.
BOYNTON BEACH, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) (Copyright © 2026 MetroDesk Media, LLC) — A Sunday night collision at a Boynton Beach intersection has claimed the life of an 83-year-old woman and left another passenger fighting for their life. According to investigators with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, the two-vehicle crash occurred at approximately 8:15 PM on March 8, 2026, at the intersection of Flavor Pict Road and Via Valenza. Arline Rosalind Zeldman, a passenger in the first vehicle, was pronounced dead at Delray Medical Center less than an hour after the incident.
The preliminary investigation reveals that Marilyn Hazel Stein, 88, was driving a 2020 Honda CR-V eastbound on Flavor Pict Road. As she entered the left turn lane for Via Valenza, Stein attempted to turn northbound directly into the path of an oncoming 2011 Toyota Tacoma. The Toyota, driven by 61-year-old Octave Sergo Bataille of Delray Beach, struck the passenger side of the Honda with its front bumper, causing the Honda to rotate clockwise before coming to a stop in the westbound travel lane.
Emergency responders from Palm Beach County Fire Rescue transported five individuals to Delray Medical Center. While the drivers and two other passengers—Marcia Savich, 87, and Natalie Rosenblatt-Spitzer, 89 —sustained minor injuries, the impact proved fatal for Zeldman. A fourth passenger, whose identity is currently not being released, remains in the hospital with critical, life-threatening injuries.
The Sheriff’s Office noted that all occupants of the Honda CR-V were wearing seatbelts at the time of the crash, while Bataille was not using safety equipment. Drugs and alcohol are not currently suspected to be factors in the collision. The investigation remains ongoing under the direction of Investigator Anthony Tejeda.
