A dramatic, high-speed collision in the early hours of Sunday morning at the intersection of 1st Street S and SR-540 (Cypress Gardens Boulevard) in Winter Haven has left two individuals, including a Winter Haven Police Department (PD) officer, with serious injuries.
The crash, which occurred at approximately 2:19 AM, is currently under investigation.
The incident involved two vehicles: a Honda Accord, driven by a 21-year-old Winter Haven man, and a marked Winter Haven PD Tahoe, driven by a 23-year-old officer responding to an emergency call with lights and sirens activated.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the police Tahoe was traveling eastbound on SR-540, attempting to pass through the intersection. Simultaneously, the Honda Accord was heading southbound on 1st Street S. Investigators indicate that the Honda entered the intersection at a high rate of speed, striking the front left side of the police cruiser.
The impact’s force sent both vehicles careening toward the nearby Dutch Brothers Coffee parking lot.
- The Honda Accord ran off the roadway, struck a roadside sign and a raised landscape feature, and overturned, coming to rest on its left side.
- The police Tahoe rotated off the roadway and finally came to a stop facing west.
Both drivers sustained serious injuries in the crash and were quickly transported to a local hospital for treatment.
Authorities have confirmed that charges are pending against the 21-year-old driver of the Honda Accord.
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