A pregnant woman has died after a semi-truck plowed into a line of cars waiting at a red light in central Florida, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office said.
The crash happened just after 5:30 pm on Oct. 17 at the intersection of U.S. 27 and U.S. 98 in Frostproof. Three vehicles were stopped in the right northbound lane, a Honda Civic, a Toyota Corolla and a Toyota Highlander, with a Volvo semi-truck stopped in the left lane beside them.
A red 2022 International semi-truck traveling north failed to notice the stopped vehicles, deputies said. It slammed into the back of the Highlander at highway speed, shoving the SUV into the side of the Volvo semi next to it.
The Highlander continued through the intersection and came to rest on the northeast corner. The impact crushed its rear compartment, causing fatal injuries to a 32-year-old pregnant woman from Avon Park who was riding in the back seat. She was taken to a hospital, where she and her fetus were declared dead.
The International semi kept going after hitting the Highlander. It struck the rear of the Corolla, veered northeast through the intersection, crossed an open field for about 400 feet, jumped a small road, hit a fence and stopped with its front end in a shallow ditch.
The Corolla was pushed into the back of the Civic when it was hit. Deputies said every person in all five vehicles appeared to be wearing a seat belt.
The truck that started the pileup is owned by Pro Vision Transport Inc. of Michigan and was driven by a 53-year-old Michigan man. He was not seriously hurt and was treated and released from a hospital.
The most seriously injured survivor is a 37-year-old Avon Park woman who was driving the Corolla. She remained in hospital, while the other injured people were treated and released or were expected to recover.
U.S. 27 was shut down for six hours during the investigation, recovery and cleanup. The sheriff’s office said the investigation is ongoing.
The Ledger first reported the crash.
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