POLK COUNTY, Fla. – A 23-year-old Lakeland man lost his life Tuesday evening following a violent single-vehicle wreck in Mulberry.
Emergency crews from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office and Polk County Fire Rescue were alerted to the scene at the corner of North Church Avenue (State Road 37) and NE 5th Street at approximately 6:19 p.m. When they arrived, they found the driver, identified as Jeremiah David MacDonald, lying in the intersection with critical injuries.
MacDonald was rushed to a local hospital by ambulance, but he later died from the trauma sustained in the accident.
According to the preliminary report from the Sheriff’s Office, MacDonald was heading north in a white 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The sequence of events began when the Jeep clipped a curb, a move that sent the vehicle into a sudden rotation. The SUV then flipped multiple times before coming to a rest.
Investigators noted that MacDonald was not wearing his seatbelt at the time of the impact and was subsequently ejected from the vehicle as it overturned. He was the only person involved in the crash.
Traffic in the area was heavily impacted, with the roadway remaining closed for nearly three hours while first responders cleared the wreckage and surveyed the site. The Polk County Sheriff’s Office is continuing its investigation into the cause of the collision.
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