Edenburg, PA driver dies as result of 8-vehicle chain reaction crash in The Villages, FL
The Villages (Sumter County), Florida - A traffic crash between a pickup truck and a sport utility vehicle (SUV) resulted in the death of the driver of the SUV, a 72 year-old Edenburg, Pennsylvania man, and serious injuries to his 71 year-old female passenger, also of Edenburg. The collision between the two vehicles caused a chain reaction crash that involved six additional vehicles - a sedan and five pickup trucks - that were stopped at an intersection.
The driver of the pickup truck, a 49 year-old man from Williston, Florida, received minor injuries, as did the drivers of the six other vehicles involved in the chain reaction portion of the crash.
The crash occurred at 5:35 pm, Wednesday afternoon, June 22, 2022, on State Road 44, at Sumter County Road 476 (Morse Blvd.) in The Villages, Florida.
According to a press release by the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP), both vehicles were traveling west on State Road 44 in the outside lane, with the SUV traveling ahead of the pickup truck, approaching the intersection of Morse Boulevard, where a sedan and five pickup trucks were stopped for a red traffic signal in the inside and left turn lanes. The SUV slowed for the red traffic signal, while the pickup truck, traveling behind it, did not, and as a result, the pickup truck collided with the rear of the SUV, which was propelled into the other six vehicles, causing a chain reaction crash.
The two passengers of the SUV were transported to an area hospital, where the driver later expired from injuries suffered during the crash.
The three passsengers involved in the initial crash of the pickup truck into the rear of the SUV were all wearing a seatbelt, according to the press release.