Four injured in three-vehicle crash on N. Citrus Ave. in Crystal River, FL
Crystal River, Florida - Several people were injured as the result of a three vehicle traffic crash that occurred at 12:20 pm, Dec. 29, on N. Citrus Ave., about 2000 feet north of W. Charlynn Ln.
According to a crash report by the Florida Highway Patrol, a 2012 Chevrolet Cruze four-door sedan was traveling south on N. Citrus Ave., approaching stopped traffic ahead, just north of the intersection with W. Charlynn Ln., behind a 2015 Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck that was pulling a boat trailer loaded with a Grumman boat, also traveling south on N. Citrus Ave., that was stopped in the roadway due to stopped traffic ahead.
The driver of the Cruze sedan failed to stop for the stopped traffic ahead, and struck the rear of the Silverado pickup truck's boat trailer. The collision propelled the boat trailer forward, which caused it to strike the rear of the Chervolet Silverado truck pulling it, significantly damaging the boat trailer and boat. The driver of the Silverado pickup truck pulled off of the roadway, onto the west grass shoulder after the crash.
As a result of the collision with the boat trailer, the Cruze sedan rotated in a clockwise direction and entered into the northbound travel lane of N. Citrus Ave., into the path of a 2015 Subaru Forester compact sports utility vehicle (SUV) traveling north, and as a result, the front of the Suburu SUV struck the left rear of the Cruze sedan, which began to rotate in a counter-clockwise dirrection. The Cruze sedan came to rest in the southbound lane of N. Citrus Ave., facing east.
The impact with the Cruze sedan caused the Suburu SUV to travel off of the roadway to the left, rotating in a counter-clockwise, northwesterly direction, crossing over railroad tracks, before coming to rest on the west grass shoulder, facing southwest.
The driver of the Cruze sedan, a 28 year-old woman from Citrus Springs, FL, was issued a citation for careless driving. She was not transported to a hospital for medical care, but her two rear seat passengers, both girls, ages 4 and 6, also of Citrus Springs, were airlifted to UF Health Shands Hospital in Gainesville, FL. According to the press release, emergency medical service (EMS) providers on scene informed the FHP trooper that both girls suffered bone fractures.
The driver of the Chevrolet Silverado was a 54 year old man from Dunnellon, FL, who carried a passenger, a 51 year-old woman, also from Dunnellon. The driver was not transported to a hospital for medical care, but his passenger was transported by EMS to Citrus Memorial Hospital (CMH) in Inverness, FL.
The driver of the Suburu Forester, a 51 year-old woman from Gulf Hammock, FL, carried no passengers. She was also transported by EMS to CMH.