1 Dead in I-4 Crash

A four-vehicle crash on Interstate 4 in the Plant City area Wednesday afternoon has claimed the life of one man while sending several other people to the hospital.

The crash happens around 12:19 p.m. as a Chevy SUV driven by Danielle Massa, 26, of Livingston, N.J., was heading eastbound in the inside lane, following behind a van driven by Danny Cooke, 60, of Cape Canaveral. Another van, driven by Robert Chouinard, 65, of Tampa was right in front of Cooke.

When traffic ahead slowed, Cooke and Chouinard slowed along with it, a media release from the Florida Highway Patrol said. Massa, however, did not slow down. The front of her vehicle hit Cooke’s van, which then struck Chouinard’s van.

Massa’s SUV continued forward and struck the rear of a fourth vehicle, a Toyota driven by Janelle Makowski, 55, of Largo, the release said.

A passenger in Cooke’s van, Armin Wolle, 70, of Cocoa Beach died following the accident at South Florida Baptist Hospital in Plant City. Cooke, Hunter Jackson, 4, of Palm Bay and Mindy Jackson, 30, of Palm Bay all suffered minor injuries.

Massa, and her passengers, William Chivas, 26, of Casselberry, Anthony Chivas, 30, of Casselberry and Andrea Bilisky, 31, of Ontario, Canada, all suffered minor injuries, as well.

Charges are pending.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of the Florida Highway Patrol