2 Killed, 1 Injured In 5-Vehicle Pinellas Co. Pileup

CLEARWATER, FL — Two people were killed, and another person was injured, in a five-vehicle pileup Saturday at US-19 near Republic Drive, the Florida Highway Patrol said Sunday.

Authorities said a 50-year-old Largo man was driving a Chevy Trax north on US-19 and failed to yield for four other vehicles that were all stopped in traffic.

The Trax rear-ended a Hyundai Santa Fe, causing a chain reaction and forcing the Santa Fe to hit the three remaining vehicles, authorities said.

The driver of the Trax and a 54-year-old female passenger from Clearwater later died of their injuries at a hospital, authorities said. They were not identified.

A 62-year-old Clearwater man suffered minor injuries in the crash, authorities said. Four other people were not injured, authorities said.

The crash temporarily shut down the northbound lanes of US-19.