2 Seriously Injured in U.S. 301 Semi Crash

Two people were seriously injured Monday afternoon when a semi-truck hit an SUV on U.S. 301.

According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the truck, driven by Alien P. Sanchez, 29, of Tampa was heading southbound on U.S. 301 around 3 p.m. Just north of Myers Street, traffic ahead of the truck came to a stop. Sanchez applied his brakes to avoid a crash, a highway patrol media release stated, and then lost control of his truck. The vehicle rotated counterclockwise and entered the northbound lanes.

Once in the northbound lanes, the truck hit a Chevrolet SUV driven by James D. Hudson, 70, of Fort Myers Beach, the release said.

Hudson and his passenger, Robert E. Idler, 62, of Cape Coral both suffered serious injuries, the patrol reported. They were transported to Tampa General Hospital. Sanchez suffered minor injuries, but did not require hospitalization.

Troopers say fuel and oil leakage from the semi forced a road closing that lasted for about three hours.

Sanchez was cited for careless driving and for having no insurance. He also received a seat belt violations, troopers said.

Photo courtesy of the Florida Highway Patrol