2 men killed in 5-vehicle crash on State Road 70 in DeSoto County, Florida troopers say
Two men were killed in a five-vehicle crash after one driver tried to pass another on a two-lane highway, Florida Highway Patrol said in a press release Friday morning.
The crash happened around 4:12 p.m. Thursday, on State Road 70 in DeSoto County.
A 68-year-old man from North Palm Beach died, and a 72-year-old man from Arcadia were both killed in the collision.
The 68-year-old man from North Palm Beach was driving his SUV east on the highway nearing North West Florida Avenue, and directly in front of him was another vehicle driven by a 51-year-old man from Camden City.
On the opposite side of the road, a 72-year-old man from Arcadia was driving in his SUV west on the highway, west of North Florida Avenue. Driving directly behind him were two other drivers, one a 33-year-old man from Sarasota in a semi-truck and a 66-year-old man from Myakka City driving a pickup truck, FHP said.
The 68-year-old man from North Palm Beach drove into the westbound lane from the eastbound lane in an attempt to get in front of the vehicle that was ahead of him. The left front of his SUV crashed into the front left side of the SUV driven by the 72-year-old man from Arcadia.
The release said the impact from the crash pushed the 72-year-old man from Arcadia SUV backward, causing him to crash into the semi-truck that was behind him. His SUV then flipped into the north grass shoulder of the highway, coming to a rest on its roof.
The 68-year-old’s SUV came to a stop in between both eastbound and westbound lanes of the road, and the driver of the semi-truck came to a stop on the north shoulder of the highway in the westbound lane.
Unable to stop his pickup truck, the 66-year-old man from Myakka City crashed into the left rear of the semi-truck. Debris from the crash hit the vehicle driven by the 51-year-old man from Camden City, FHP said.
Both the 68-year-old man from North Palm Beach and 72-year-old man from Arcadia were pronounced dead on the scene. None of the other drivers were injured.
The crash is still under investigation.
This story was originally published October 14, 2022 at 9:51 AM.
