Courtesy: Florida Highway Patrol
BRADENTON, Fla. – Troopers with the Florida Highway Patrol are searching for a driver who was involved in a deadly crash on I-75 in Manatee County on Monday morning and took off.
What we know:
According to FHP, a dark-colored Ford Mustang was traveling southbound on I-75 in the left lane just south of State Road 64 when it entered the middle lane and collided with a Chevy Trailblazer driven by a 63-year-old man.
“This mustang was weaving in and out of traffic and caused a crash that sideswiped the SUV,” explained Trooper Ken Watson.
The impact, according to troopers, sent the Trailblazer into the right lane and the path of a semi tractor-trailer driven by a 34-year-old man from New Smyrna.
“Driving a vehicle like that high profile, early in the morning and with a full load obviously they can’t stop on a dime,” Watson said.
Upon impact, investigators said the semi-truck was redirected across all southbound lanes of travel, overturned onto its right side and came to a stop partially in the grass median and across all three southbound lanes of I-75.
Courtesy: Florida Highway Patrol
Troopers said the driver of the Mustang stopped briefly after the crashes and then took off southbound on I-75.
The driver of the semi tractor-trailer died at the scene.
The driver of the Chevy Trailblazer reportedly suffered minor injuries.
“The cause of this crash was the dark-colored Mustang who was weaving in and out of traffic. He stopped for a moment and then immediately fled the scene in a southern direction,” Watson said.
What we don’t know:
The driver of the Mustang has not been identified.
Courtesy: Florida Highway Patrol
Dig deeper:
The Mustang was described as black with rear louvers and possibly a stick camera on the rear.
The driver was reportedly a man in a grey hoodie and a stocky build.
What they’re saying:
Trooper Watson said the crash could have easily been avoided.
“We want to reiterate the importance of leaving early, driving safely and not abruptly changing lanes,” he said.
What you can do:
Anyone with information about the crash is asked to contact the Florida Highway Patrol at *347 (*FHP) or Crime Stoppers.
The Source: This article was written with information provided by the Florida Highway Patrol in a press release.
Manatee CountyCrime and Public Safety
