Two separate fatal traffic accidents miles apart on Interstate 4 in Hillsborough County claimed two lives, officials said.
Both crashes caused major traffic slowdowns on I-4 between Tampa and Plant City.
The first traffic crash occurred shortly before 6:30 a.m. The crash involved a motorcycle on I-4 eastbound at Mile Marker 17 near Plant City.
The name of the victim in the motorcycle crash has not been released.
In the second fatal accident, a 31-year-old man from Apollo Beach died after a two-vehicle collision on I-4 near Interstate 75 shortly after 7:30 a.m. Sunday
A 2005 GMC Sierra SUV was traveling eastbound on I-4 approaching Mile Marker 9 in the inside lane. A 2012 Ford Expedition also was traveling east on I-4 in the center lane. The unidentified driver of the Sierra attempted to make a lane change to the center lane, but failed to yield the right-of-way to the driver of the Expedition, the Florida Highway Patrol said. The two vehicles collided.
The Sierra spun around, traveled off the road and collided with a concrete culvert on the shoulder of the road then overturned.
The driver of the Sierra was taken to Tampa General Hospital, where he died of his injuries, Florida Highway Patrol spokesman Sgt. Steve Gaskins said in a news release.
The name of the Sierra driver was not released, pending notification of next-of-kin.
The Expedition driver, John Simon Jr. , 60, of Tampa was uninjured.
