PASCO COUNTY, Fla. — A five-vehicle chain-reaction crash on Interstate 75 in Pasco County on Friday left one man dead, authorities said.
According to a Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) report, a Tesla Model S, driven by a 69-year-old Longboat Key man, was traveling southbound on I-75 along with several other vehicles at about 3:15 p.m.
Near the 277-milepost, the Tesla left the travel lane and collided with a second vehicle, a Ford F150 driven by a 43-year-old Riverview woman. She had an 11-year-old boy with her in the car.
The Tesla then hit a third car, a Toyota Corolla, driven by a70-year-old Wesley Chapel man. The impact caused the Corolla to crash into a 59-year-old St. Petersburg man, who was driving a Peterbilt truck.
Finally, the Tesla, which had continued south following the first two collisions, struck a fifth vehicle, a Volvo tractor-trailer, driven by a 31-year-old Tampa man.
The Tesla driver was taken to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead. The crash was likely caused by the Tesla driver having a medical emergency, FHP officials said.
The other drivers were not injured, the report stated.
'Cruise lights' on Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office patrol cars raise questions, confusion among drivers
Every driver knows that when you see red and blue flashing lights on a patrol car, you slow down, pull over, or get out of the way.
But in Hillsborough County, drivers will also now see deputies with their lights on, but not flashing. They're called "cruise lights," and the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office (HCSO) recently implemented their use on all patrol vehicles.
