One-car accident south of Gandy Boulevard has claimed the life of a 77-year-old St. Petersburg man. At 3:15 p.m. Wednesday, the Florida Highway Patrol reported that a vehicle had crashed. During a southbound journey on Interstate 275, a van driver lost control and hit two concrete light poles and a traffic sign, before overturning. The driver was not wearing a seatbelt and was thrown out of the van. The victim died at the scene.
The Florida Highway Patrol said a Seffner teen died after his car slammed into trees Tuesday night along Interstate 75. According to troopers, the 18-year-old driver was speeding on I-75 near milepost 253 when the vehicle spun at a curve. While spinning, the car hit a vehicle driven by a 20-year-old Riverview resident. A trooper reported that both cars slid down a hill and struck a tree line. According to authorities, the teenager died at the scene. Detectives say the Riverview driver sustained serious injuries.
Polk County's Florida Highway Patrol reported a 44-year-old Lakeland man has been killed in a single-car crash on I-4 early Tuesday morning. Investigators said the driver lost control of his vehicle when he had a medical emergency while driving westbound on I-4 at milepost 34. His truck slammed into nearby cable barriers and crashed into the media. According to local authorities, he died at a hospital.
In a multi-vehicle crash on Interstate 275 on Wednesday, a St. Petersburg man, 29, is charged with driving under the influence of drugs and driving without a valid driver's license. There was also a trooper involved in the crash. During a traffic stop on I-275 northbound near the 54th Avenue North exit, the Florida Highway Patrol vehicle was parked on the shoulder. The 29-year-old man lost control of his vehicle at this point, causing it to crash into the back of a vehicle traveling in the center lane, authorities said. This caused the vehicle in the center lane to spin a number of times, police said. After continuing in the right lane, the 29-year-old collided with a pickup truck from the side.
