Troopers identify woman killed in Thanksgiving crash

The driver who died in a crash in Sarasota County on Thanksgiving has been identified.

Colleen C. Manning, 38, of Port Charlotte, was killed when her vehicle was struck by a Volkswagen Jetta on Interstate 75 on Thursday, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

The Jetta, driven by a 21-year-old Venice woman, was behind Manning’s Chevrolet Aveo in the right northbound lane of I-75 approaching State Road 681 around 8:12 p.m. Thursday, according to the crash report.

Manning started to slow down for an unoccupied vehicle that was involved in a previous crash and was obstructing the lane of traffic. The driver of the Jetta did not stop and struck the rear of Manning’s vehicle, according to FHP.

The Jetta also struck the left side of the unoccupied Chevrolet Trailblazer that was obstructing the right lane, according to FHP. Three passengers — a 22-year-old man, a 16-year-old boy and a 22-year-old woman, all of Venice — and the driver of the Jetta suffered minor injuries.

Manning died as a result of the crash.

Northbound lanes of the interstate were closed overnight as crews cleaned up and police investigated the crash. The road was reopened early Friday morning.

This story was originally published November 28, 2017 at 9:26 AM with the headline "Troopers identify woman killed in Thanksgiving crash."