LAKELAND, Fla. — A Sunday evening drive turned deadly on West Pipkin Road after a vehicle traveling in the wrong direction triggered a severe head-on collision, leaving one driver dead and another seriously injured.
The crash occurred just after 7:30 p.m. in the 4100 block of West Pipkin Road. According to the Lakeland Police Department, 81-year-old Mary Lockhart was behind the wheel of a white Honda SUV heading east. However, investigators say she was driving in the inside lane of the westbound side of the road.
At that same moment, 20-year-old Ethan Duncan, of Plant City, was driving a grey Honda Accord westbound in the proper lane. The two vehicles collided head-on.
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Emergency crews from Lakeland Police, Polk County Fire Rescue, and the Lakeland Fire Department rushed to the scene to perform life-saving measures. Both drivers were transported to Lakeland Regional Health with severe trauma.
Despite the efforts of medical staff, Lockhart succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced dead at the hospital. Duncan survived the impact but remains in serious condition.
The Lakeland Police Department’s Traffic Homicide Unit took over the scene, shutting down the roadway for approximately four hours to collect evidence and clear the wreckage.
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The investigation is ongoing as officers work to determine what led Lockhart to enter the wrong lane. Police are urging anyone who witnessed the crash or has information to contact Officer Travis Payne at Travis.payne@lakelandgov.net.
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