CITRUS COUNTY, Fla. – A Friday evening commute turned into a multi-car tragedy in Citrus County when a chain-reaction crash left one woman dead and a driver fleeing into the night. Florida Highway Patrol Troopers are currently searching for a man who abandoned his GMC pickup truck after sparking a massive collision at a red light on US-41 near Norvell Bryant Highway.
The incident unfolded at approximately 7:00 PM on February 27. According to crash investigators, a GMC pickup was traveling southbound on US-41 when it approached a line of cars stopped for a traffic signal. The driver of the pickup failed to slow down, slamming into the back of a Jeep Cherokee near the East Victoria Lane intersection.
The force of the initial impact was so severe that it sent the Jeep careening forward, triggering a domino effect. The Jeep struck a Kia Sportage, which then hit a Mitsubishi Mirage, which finally collided with a Honda HR-V.
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Inside the Jeep Cherokee, the consequences were devastating. A 74-year-old woman from Crystal River, who was a passenger in the vehicle, sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene. The 38-year-old female driver from Inverness and a 61-year-old passenger from Kansas City, Kansas, both survived with minor injuries.
The driver of the Kia Sportage, a 54-year-old Lecanto woman, also suffered minor injuries. The drivers of the Mitsubishi and the Honda—a 26-year-old man from Brooksville and a 69-year-old woman from Inverness—were assessed by first responders and reported no injuries.
Immediately following the collision, the male driver of the GMC pickup exited his vehicle and fled the area on foot before law enforcement arrived. Troopers have not yet released a detailed description of the suspect, but the investigation remains active as they work to track him down.
FHP Troopers continue to investigate the incident and anyone with information is asked to call *FHP (*347).
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