Two killed in Manatee County crash after driver tried to pass traffic, FHP says 

Two people were killed in a crash in East Manatee County on Saturday when a driver tried to pass traffic, Florida Highway Patrol said in a news release.

The wreck happened just before 8 p.m. on State Road 70 near Betts Road in the Myakka City area, the agency said.

Troopers say a 31-year-old Bradenton man was driving an SUV westbound on S.R. 70 with three passengers in the vehicle. The Bradenton man then drove into the eastbound lane and attempted to pass traffic, according to FHP.

But his SUV collided head-on with a pickup truck traveling east, troopers said.

The driver of the pickup truck, a 47-year-old Arcadia man, died at the scene, FHP said. A 56-year-old Bradenton man who was a passenger in the SUV was also killed, the agency said.

The 31-year-old Bradenton man was taken to the hospital with serious injuries, according to FHP.

The other SUV passengers, a 57-year-old Bradenton woman and a 34-year-old Bradenton man, sustained minor injuries, troopers said.

The crash remained under investigation on Sunday, the agency said.