Sulfur spilled into road, two injured in wrong-way crash

One person was seriously hurt in a wrong-way crash on Buckeye Road on Thursday.

A 2013 Ford F150 pulling a utility trailer, driven by a 47-year-old Wimauma man, was traveling west on Buckeye Road approaching a curve in the road east of Carter Road around 7:45 a.m. At the same time, a 2018 Kenworth tractor trailer carrying powdered sulfur, driven by a 34-year-old Lakeland man, was eastbound on Buckeye Road, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

As both vehicles came to the turn in the road, the driver of the F150 told troopers he looked down for something and his truck crossed the center of the road. The driver of the tractor trailer swerved to avoid the collision and the driver of the F150 tried to steer back into his lane. However, the vehicles collided, causing the F150 to rotate and the utility trailer it was hauling to stop underneath the truck.

The nearly 50 pounds of powdered sulfur carried by the tractor trailer spilled into Buckeye Road as a result of the crash. Emergency crews contained and cleaned the spill.

The driver of the F150 suffered serious injuries and was taken to Bayfront Health in St. Petersburg. He also was charged with driving on the wrong side of the road, according to FHP.

The tractor trailer driver suffered minor injuries and was taken to South Bay Hospital in Sun City Center.

This story was originally published January 12, 2018 at 8:58 AM with the headline "Sulfur spilled into road, two injured in wrong-way crash."