Clerk Dies After Car Smashes Into Winter Haven Store: PCSO

WINTER HAVEN, FL — A 52-year-old clerk at a Winter Haven gas station died over the weekend after a car crashed into the building where he worked and hit him as he stood at the checkout counter, law enforcement officials said.

A 2015 Kia Optima drove westbound on Havendale Boulevard around 4:50 a.m. when it smashed into the Marathon gas station at 2600 Havendale Blvd. on Sunday, police said.

Detectives said before the driver hit the store with his car, he went into the eastbound lanes and jumped over a nearby concrete curb and hit a parked car that was at the gas pumps.

The victim, William Clabough of Bartow, was treated for his injuries at Winter Haven Hospital where he later died, deputies said.

The driver, whose name was not released by authorities, was transported to a local hospital, police said.

The Polk County Sheriff's Office said charges are likely for the suspect, and the cause of the crash has not been released.