Driver and passenger hospitalized after car hits tree

Two people were hospitalized late Thursday after their car hit a tree, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

Around 8:21 p.m., a 37-year-old Bradenton man driving a Cadillac ATS was traveling with a 35-year-old Seminole woman southbound on Tara Boulevard, just south of Strand Circle.

According to FHP, the driver didn’t follow the curve in the road, causing the car to hit the curb and rotate. The car then slide across the right shoulder, the FHP report said, and hit a tree.

The impact was so strong that the car rocked from side to side, the car’s roof also hitting the tree.

The man was transported to Blake Medical Center with critical injuries, while the woman was taken to Lakewood Ranch Medical Center with serious injuries, according to FHP.

The FHP report said that both were wearing their seat belts, but it’s unknown if the driver was under the influence of alcohol. The crash remains under investigation.

This story was originally published June 1, 2017 at 7:21 AM with the headline "Driver and passenger hospitalized after car hits tree."