Lakeland Teen Dies In Single-Vehicle Crash On Interstate 4

TAMPA, FL —An 18-year-old Lakeland teen has died and a 17-year-old was seriously injured following a crash on Interstate 4 near Interstate 75 Saturday night.

According to the Florida Highway Patrol, just after 7 p.m., Ruben Jacob Ramirez, 17, of Lakeland was driving a Ford F350 east on I-4, passing under the I-75 overpass when he lost control and hit the center media guardrail. The pickup truck then overturned.

A passenger in the pickup truck, Stephanie A. Carroll, 18, was taken to Tampa General Hospital where she died. Ramirez was taken to Tampa General Hospital in serious condition.

Three other passengers - Tristen Green, 19, Kira Barclay, 17, and Raemond Ramirez, 16, all of Lakeland - sustained minor injuries.