MANATEE COUNTY, FL — A Monday morning hit-and-run crash on Interstate 75 near the State Road 64 junction left the driver of a semi-tractor-trailer truck dead and another driver with minor injuries, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
The crash happened around 6:30 a.m. at mile marker 220 on I-75 south.
The other vehicles involved in the crash were a Ford Mustang and a Chevy Trailblazer. The driver of the Mustang fled south on I-75 and was not identified, troopers said.
The car was traveling in the left lane south of the S.R. 64 junction. At the same time, the SUV, driven by a 63-year-old Palmetto man, and the truck, driven by a 34-year-old New Smyrna man, were both traveling in the center lane.
The Mustang entered the center lane, and the right side of the car collided with the left front side of the Trailblazer, the FHP report said. That impact caused the SUV to leave its lane, entering the right lane and into the truck’s direct path.
The Trailblazer’s right side then hit the left front side of the truck, redirecting it southeast across the highway’s southbound travel lanes.
The truck overturned onto its right side, and came to rest on its side and top, partially in the grass median and across all three southbound lanes, FHP said.
The truck’s driver died in the crash, while the Palmetto driver suffered minor injuries.
The Mustang stopped momentarily after the collisions, then fled the scene south on I-75, FHP said.
The vehicle was described as a black Ford Mustang with rear louvers and possibly a stick camera on the rear, investigators said.
The driver was described as a man with a stocky build and wearing a grey hoodie.
Anyone with information or video of the incident is asked to contact Florida Highway Patrol at *FHP (*347) or Manatee County Crime Stoppers.
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