Palmetto man avoids serious injury in wrong-way crash on I-75

A Palmetto man avoided serious injury when his vehicle was hit head-on by a wrong-way driver on Interstate 75 in south Hillsborough County early Sunday morning.

Juan Luis Garcia, 26, was traveling northbound on I-75 in a 2007 GMC truck about four miles south of Sun City Center just before 2 a.m. Sunday, according to a release from the Florida Highway Patrol. That was when his vehicle was struck head-on by a 2000 Nissan SUV driven by Gregg Alan Richardson, 57, of Land O’Lakes. Richardson was traveling south in the northbound lanes.

According to the FHP release, alcohol was a factor in the accident, and charges are pending against Richardson, who was transported to Blake Medical Center with serious injuries.

Garcia suffered minor injuries.

This story was originally published February 12, 2017 at 10:50 AM with the headline "Palmetto man avoids serious injury in wrong-way crash on I-75."