POLK COUNTY, Fla. – A late-night crash on US 27 claimed the life of a 24-year-old woman early Friday morning after her sedan struck a semi-trailer and barreled into a local church.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office reported that the incident occurred around 12:29 a.m. on April 17, 2026, near the intersection of US 27 and B. Moore Road.
According to investigators, Jovanna Saily Reyes of Bowling Green was driving a 2020 Hyundai Sonata northbound when she encountered a 2019 Volvo semi-truck completing a U-turn.
The truck driver, a 24-year-old woman from Tampa, told detectives she spotted a vehicle in the distance before beginning the legal maneuver to head north. However, the Hyundai struck the side of the trailer and passed underneath it.
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The momentum carried the car across the median and through a chain-link fence before it finally slammed into the First Apostolic Pentecostal Church.
When deputies and Polk County Fire Rescue arrived at the scene, they found Reyes deceased. The truck driver was not injured and remained at the scene to cooperate with the Traffic Homicide Unit.
Evidence at the site, including a lack of pre-impact skid marks, suggests that the Hyundai did not brake before the collision. While the investigation is still active, detectives noted that the speed of the Hyundai appears to be a primary factor in the crash. At this stage, officials stated that no civil or criminal charges are anticipated.
The collision caused a five-hour shutdown of US 27 in both directions as crews cleared debris and documented the scene. The First Apostolic Pentecostal Church sustained damage to one of its exterior walls, but no one was inside the building at the time of the impact.
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