Early morning crash involving two tractor-trailers erupts in flames at a rural intersection, shutting down major roadways.
SUMTER COUNTY, Fla. – A catastrophic pre-dawn collision between two tractor-trailers on Thursday, September 25, has left a 62-year-old Tampa man dead and a 41-year-old Lakeland man with minor injuries. The fiery crash occurred at approximately 4:44 a.m. at the intersection of County Road 48 and State Road 471 in Sumter County, according to a report from the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP).
The FHP report indicates that a sand-filled dump tractor-trailer, driven by the 62-year-old Tampa man, was traveling westbound on CR-48 and attempted a wide right turn to head northbound on SR-471. In the process, the tractor portion of the dump truck entered the path of a Rooms-To-Go tractor-trailer, driven by the 41-year-old Lakeland man, that was traveling southbound on SR-471.
The impact was severe, and both vehicles immediately erupted in flames.
The driver of the Rooms-To-Go truck was able to escape their vehicle with minor injuries. However, the driver of the dump truck was trapped inside the burning wreckage and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Emergency services, including fire and rescue crews, quickly responded to the scene to extinguish the blaze and manage the aftermath.
The crash and subsequent fire caused significant disruptions, leading to the closure of both CR-48 and SR-471 for several hours as authorities investigated and cleared the scene.
READ: Brandon Woman Seriously Injured In High-Speed Crash On US-301
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