27-year-old Sarasota man dies in head-on crash in Manatee County, FHP says 

A 27-year-old Sarasota man was killed in a head-on collision with a pickup truck when he attempted to go around another vehicle on a Manatee County road, Florida Highway Patrol said Wednesday afternoon.

The crash occurred at 6:05 a.m. Wednesday on State Road 62/Wauchula Road, east of County Road 579 in in East Manatee County, the agency says.

Troopers say the 27-year-old Sarasota man was driving east on S.R. 62 in a sedan, traveling behind a tractor-trailer. The driver then entered the westbound lane of traffic and attempted to pass the tractor-trailer, but his vehicle was struck by an oncoming pickup truck traveling westbound.

The impact caused the sedan to rotate and collide with the trailer portion of the tractor-trailer, FHP says. The Sarasota man was later transported to Blake Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

Troopers say he was wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash.

The 44-year-old Duette man who was driving the pickup truck sustained only minor injuries, troopers say, and the 26-year-old Wesley Chapel man operating the tractor-trailer was uninjured. Both men were also wearing seat belts, troopers noted.

An investigation of the crash is ongoing.

This story was originally published December 22, 2021 at 4:09 PM.