HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. – Traffic was already crawling along Northbound I-75 Monday afternoon as drivers tried to navigate past a vehicle fire near the Sun City Center exit. But at approximately 4:30 PM, the slow commute turned into a scene of wreckage near the 235 Milepost.
According to Florida Highway Patrol investigators, a tractor-trailer attempting to escape the gridlock performed an illegal U-turn near the Hillsborough-Manatee County line, directly crossing into the path of oncoming traffic.
The maneuver proved nearly fatal for a 28-year-old man from Parrish who was traveling in a Toyota Corolla. With nowhere to go, the sedan slammed into the semi-truck as it blocked the lanes.
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The impact left the Parrish man with serious injuries, requiring emergency responders to rush him to a nearby hospital for treatment. His current condition has not been released.
While the truck driver, 45-year-old Julio Dones Rosa of Citrus Springs, walked away from the collision without injury, he did not leave the scene a free man.
FHP troopers quickly determined the U-turn was a criminal violation.
Rosa was arrested on the spot and charged with Reckless Driving Involving Serious Injury. He was transported to the Hillsborough County Jail, where he remains following the afternoon’s events.
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