Crime & Safety

Victim Identified In Jeep Vs. Train Fatality

The crash happened Saturday afternoon along Paul Buchman Highway and Candis Road in Plant City.

PLANT CITY, FL — A motorist’s attempt to beat a train through an intersection Saturday afternoon resulted in a fatality.

According to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, a CSX freight train was heading southbound on the tracks along Paul Buchman Highway in Plant City around 4:05 p.m. Saturday. As the train approached Candis Road, a 2006 Jeep Grand Cherokee was heading westbound on Candis. The Jeep's driver, Bruce Dean, 19, tried to beat the train, an email from the sheriff’s office said.

“The driver drove into the path of the train resulting in the train striking the passenger side of the vehicle,” the email said. “The impact pushed the vehicle southeast and off the tracks into a ditch, overturning onto the driver's side.”

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Dean suffered serious injuries and was transported to Tampa General Hospital, the sheriff's office said. Dean's passenger Angel Fidel Garcia-Vera, 20, was killed, the agency reported.

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