FHP Archives - Inside Lake

1 dead, 1 seriously injured in crash near Umatilla Friday night

Inside Scoop, Umatilla, Unincorporated Lake / By Marilyn M. Aciego

UMATILLA, Fla.—The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating a single-car crash that killed one man and seriously injured another man Friday night.

A 10 p.m., a 28-year-old Belleview man was driving a 2020 Chevrolet Corvette northbound on County Road 439 approaching Live Oak Ranch Road when he ran off the road for unknown reasons, FHP said. The Corvette went airborne and struck a tree, killing the driver and seriously injuring his passenger, a 29-year-old Crestview man.

The Belleview man was pronounced deceased on the scene, and the Crestview man was transported to Orlando Regional Medical Center for treatment. The crash remains under investigation.

1 dead, 1 seriously injured in crash near Umatilla Friday night Read More »

Astatula woman airlifted following head-on crash with heavy-duty truck Monday night near Umatilla

Astatula, Eustis, Inside Scoop, Umatilla, Unincorporated Lake / By Marilyn M. Aciego

UMATILLA, Fla.— A head-on crash with a heavy-duty commercial truck sent an Astatula woman to an Orlando hospital by helicopter Monday night, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

Around 9:45 p.m. Monday, Tammie Mast, 48, of Astatula, was driving a 2010 Honda Insight northbound on State Road 19 leaving the intersection of McKinley Road when she drove into the grass median and into the southbound lanes of State Road 19, between Umatilla and Eustis, Trooper Migdalisis Garcia told Inside Lake.

Mast failed to see a 2016 Dodge RAM 5500 approaching McKinley Road traveling southbound and the vehicles collided head-on, Garcia said. Mast was transported to Orlando Regional Medical Center by AirCare. She was last reported in critical condition in the ICU, Garcia said.

The driver of the RAM, a 43-year-old Eustis woman, was not injured.

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Astatula man killed after crashing into tree near Umatilla early Sunday

Astatula, Inside Scoop, Umatilla, Unincorporated Lake / By Marilyn M. Aciego

UMATILLA, Fla.—The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating a crash that killed a man Sunday.

Shortly after 1:15 a.m., a 51-year-old Astatula man was driving a 2000 Ford F-250 westbound on County Road 450 near Babb Road when he failed to negotiate a curve, FHP said.

He ran off the road into the tree line, the truck rotated, and the right side struck a tree. He was not wearing a seatbelt and was partially ejected, according to FHP. He was pronounced deceased on the scene.

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Alleged Leesburg drunk driver returned to deadly scene by family member, FHP says

Inside Scoop, Leesburg, Unincorporated Lake / By Marilyn M. Aciego

LEESBURG, Fla.— A elderly Leesburg man is dead, and another Leesburg man is facing charges in his death after a hit-and-run on Radio Road Monday night, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

Around 9:10 p.m., Kevin Custer, 37, was driving a 2012 Toyota Tacoma northbound on Radio Road, approaching Patrick Drive, when he struck a 75-year-old man walking on Radio Road. Custer fled the scene, and the pedestrian was transported to UF Health Leesburg Hospital, where he was pronounced deceased, FHP said.

Custer was returned to the scene by a family member and arrested for hit-and-run involving death and DUI manslaughter. He was transported to the Lake County Jail, where he is being held on $40,000 bond.

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Leesburg teen killed, 3 teens in serious condition after early morning crash

Fruitland Park, Inside Scoop, Leesburg / By Marilyn M. Aciego

DeLAND, Fla—A 17-year-old Leesburg girl was killed, and four other people are in serious condition after a pickup truck and car collided before daybreak Saturday in the DeLand area of Lake County, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

Shortly before 4:15 a.m., a 43-year-old DeLand man was driving a 2011 Dodge Ram 1500 eastbound on State Road 44 when the front right of the truck struck the front right of a 2015 Dodge Charger traveling westbound near Tomahawk Trail. The sequence of events that led to the crash is still under investigation, Trooper Migdalisis Garcia said.

The driver of the Charger, an 18-year-old Fruitland Park man, and his rear passengers, an 18-year-old man, also of Fruitland Park, and a 17-year-old girl of Leesburg, were transported to HCA Lake Monroe Hospital in Sanford in serious condition. The front seat passenger of the Charger, a 17-year-old Leesburg girl, was pronounced deceased on scene, FHP said. The driver of the Dodge was transported to AdventHealth DeLand in serious condition.

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Crash on Turnpike near Clermont kills Alabama man Thursday

Clermont, Inside Scoop, Minneola / By Marilyn M. Aciego

CLERMONT, Fla.—A Mobile, Ala. man was killed on Florida’s Turnpike Thursday night after he rear-ended a semi, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

The 22-year-old man was traveling southbound in a 2025 Hyundai Elantra around 10:15 p.m. when a 2017 Freightliner semi tractor-trailer in front of him slowed for traffic around mile marker 279 near Clermont. The Alabama man failed to slow down and rear-ended the semi. He was pronounced deceased on scene; his passenger, a 23-year-old woman, also of Mobile, was transported to Orlando Regional Medical Center with serious injuries.

The driver of the semi, a 45-year-old Naples man, was not injured. The crash remains under investigation.

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The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating a crash that killed a Eustis man Friday afternoon. PHOTO: Marilyn M. Aciego/Inside Lake

Fatal crash closes CR 439 near Eustis Friday

Eustis, Inside Scoop, Unincorporated Lake / By Marilyn M. Aciego

EUSTIS, Fla.—The Florida Highway Patrol in investigating a crash that killed a Eustis man Friday afternoon.

According to FHP, a 2013 Freightliner tractor-trailer being driven by a 78-year-old Orlando man was westbound on County Road 44A when it collided with a Dodge Ram just after 2 p.m. A witness told troopers the Freightliner ran the red light to turn left on County Road 439, in the direct path of a 56-year-old Eustis man driving the Dodge.

*The Florida Highway Patrol and a Lake County Sheriff’s Office deputy block traffic while FHP investigates a fatal crash Friday afternoon. PHOTO: Marilyn M. Aciego/Inside Lake*

The Eustis man was transported to HCA Lake Monroe Hospital in Sanford, where he was pronounced deceased. The Orlando man was transported to AdventHealth Waterman in Tavares with non-life-threatening injuries. Both men were wearing their seatbelts, FHP said.

Only Inside Lake was on scene as a trooper and a Lake County Sheriff’s Office deputy blocked the north end of County Road 439 and the eastbound lane of County Road 44A. Several more troopers arrived at the crash shortly before 4:30 p.m. The crash remains under investigation.

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Truck set ablaze after fatal crash, Eustis man turns himself in to troopers

Eustis, Inside Scoop / By Marilyn M. Aciego

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla.—A Eustis man is behind bars in Orange County after fleeing a crash that killed an Orlando bicyclist Monday.

Around 9:15 a.m., Jermaine Williams, 42, was driving a Dodge Ram southbound on South Orange Blossom Trail in Orange County and failed to stop for a bicyclist traveling westbound in the crosswalk at 43^rd Street. The Dodge struck the 43-year-old bicyclist, and he was transported to Orlando Regional Medical Center and pronounced deceased, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

Williams fled the scene and Orange County Sheriff’s Office deputies soon located the Dodge on fire behind a nearby business. FHP took the truck as evidence and Williams later contacted FHP and turned himself in, FHP said. He was arrested for leaving the scene of a crash with death and booked into the Orange County Jail, where he is being held on no bond.

“This case remains an active criminal investigation and further charges are pending,” FHP Lt. Tara Crescenzi said.

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Collision with truck kills Sorrento motorcyclist Wednesday

Inside Scoop, Unincorporated Lake / By Marilyn M. Aciego

SORRENTO, Fla. —A Sorrento man was killed early Wednesday evening after a pickup truck turned in front of him, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

The 65-year-old man was riding a 2001 Yamaha motorcycle eastbound on State Road 46, also known as Sorrento Avenue, when a 49-year-old Apopka man driving a 2020 Chevy Silverado attempted to make a left turn into a parking lot near 4^th Street.

The front of the motorcycle collided with the Silverado and the impact killed the motorcyclist just after 6 p.m., FHP said. The driver of the Silverado was not injured.

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Umatilla woman killed in early morning Marion County crash

Inside Scoop, Umatilla / By Marilyn M. Aciego

Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story misidentified the crash victim’s gender due to incorrect information released by the Florida Highway Patrol. The story has been updated with the correct information.

MARION COUNTY, Fla.—The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating a crash that killed a 41-year-old Umatilla woman Friday morning.

Shortly before 2:45 a.m. the woman was driving eastbound on County Road 42 when she failed to negotiate a curve near Southeast 258^th Avenue Road in the Umatilla area of Marion County.

The car left the roadway and struck a sign, a fence and a tree on the south shoulder. The woman was pronounced deceased on the scene by Marion County Fire Rescue.

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