Inverness man dies as result of four vehicle crash, Feb. 17, SR 44 in Lecanto
Lecanto, Florida - A 62 year-old man, an Inverness resident, died as the result of a four vehicle traffic crash that occurred at 11:09 am, Thursday, February 17, 2022 on SR 44 (E. Gulf to Lake Hwy.), at Salisbury Terrace, in Lecanto.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the Inverness man was driving a pickup truck, pulling a trailer, traveling east on SR 44, approaching Salisbury Terrace in the outside lane.
A second vehicle, a passenger bus, driven by a 31 year-old man from Ocala, Florida, was traveling east on SR 44 in the inside lane.
A third vehicle, a van, driven by a 68 year-old man from Inverness, Florida, was traveling west on SR 44 in the inside lane.
The fourth vehicle, a sedan, driven by a 54 year old woman from Inverness, Florida, was traveling west on SR 44 in the outside lane, parallel to the third vehicle, the van.
According to the FHP, while the Inverness man's truck and trailer was passing the second vehicle, the passenger bus, on the right, the left side of the truck collided with the right side of the passenger bus, then continued traveling to the front of the passenger bus, crossed the center median and struck a traffic control sign. After the impact, the sign became airborne and was impaled into the windshield of the third vehicle, the van, and the truck then also collided with the rear of the van. The collision dislodged a motorized scooter that was being transported on the rear on the van, and debris from the impacts struck the fourth vehicle, the sedan, which traveled onto the north shoulder of SR 44 and collided with a fence before coming to a stop.
The man in the truck was transported to an area hospital, but he later expired from injuries he suffered during the crash.
The driver of the passenger bus was not injured, and the drivers of the van and the sedan suffered minor injuries. The press release stated that all the drivers were wearing a seatbelt and none carried a passenger.