1 dead in Pasco crash involving college baseball team’s bus on I-75

A fatal crash shut down a portion of Interstate 75 in Dade City on Saturday, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

The crash happened about 12:33 p.m. on the southbound side of I-75 at mile marker 287.

A bus carrying the Hiram College baseball team from Ohio was traveling in the center lane. As traffic began to merge from three lanes to two, the driver of the bus, 69-year-old Shirley Jackson, failed to slow down, troopers said.

The bus collided with the back of a Lexus, sending the vehicle into the back of Hyundai Sonata.

The driver of the Lexus, an 81-year-old woman, died at the scene. A passenger in the vehicle, a 59-year-old woman, was taken to a hospital in critical condition.

A third driver, Amy Chadek, 45, of Ocala, was taken to a hospital in serious condition.

The bus driver had minor injuries, troopers said. No other injuries from the bus were reported.

The southbound lanes on I-75 remained closed until 4:30 p.m.

Charges are pending agains the bus driver, the FHP report said.

The Hiram College baseball team is scheduled to begin play on Sunday in the Gene Cusic Collegiate Classic in Fort Myers.

This story was originally published March 4, 2017 at 8:32 PM with the headline "1 dead in Pasco crash involving college baseball team’s bus on I-75."