A fatal crash occurred on Florida’s Turnpike near U.S. 27 in Lake County on February 24, 2023, involving 6 vehicles and 2 dead people. The victims of this tragic accident are a 69-year-old man and a 68-year-old woman from Ocala. Two people were injured and transported to a local hospital.
Florida Highway Patrol stated that a multi-vehicle crash was started at 7:15 am by the driver of a 2020 Toyota Corolla and a 23-year-old woman from Tallahassee. She was driving south on Florida’s Turnpike on the inside line near marker 286 in Howey-in-Hills. This woman didn’t notice stopped vehicles in front of the southbound lane.
The female Toyota driver struck a stopped 2022 Chevrolet Equinox occupied by a woman and a man from Ocala. The car spun and hit the right side of a 2020 semi-truck with a trailer driven by a 34-year-old man from Anthony. The semi-truck was stopped on the outside lane of Florida’s Turnpike. The Toyota Corolla caught fire at that moment.
The Chevrolet Equinox moved from the travel lane to the inside shoulder as a result of the impact. The right rear from the Equinox hit the left rear of the 2014 Jeep Cherokee. The Jeep Cherokee was driven by a 67-year-old woman from Port Richey.
After the collision with the Jeep, the Chevrolet Equinox swerved further off the road and hit the center guardrail. The impact caused the vehicle to spin. It carried the front left section of a Dodge Ram pickup truck during the spin. The pickup truck was driven by a 31-year-old Inverness man.
The Chevrolet continued to skid alongside the guardrail. The skidding was stopped by hitting a semitractor trailer. The Chevrolet was stuck underneath and become wedged. A 35-year-old driver from Dunnellon was driving the semitractor-trailer.
The drivers of the Toyota and Jeep, the first two vehicles involved in the collision, suffered minor injuries. The 2022 Chevrolet Equinox driver, a 69-year-old man, and his female passenger, a 68-year-old woman from Ocala, were pronounced dead at the scene.
They were taken to a local hospital for further treatment. The drivers and passengers of the other vehicles that were the participants in the multi-vehicle crash were not injured. They all remained at the scene.
The southbound lane traffic was diverted at 12:13 pm from the Turnpike at mile marker 289. They were reopened around 3 pm.
Florida Highway Patrol stated that the fatal crash on Florida’s Turnpike involving 6 vehicles and 2 dead people remains under investigation.
