POLK COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — One person is dead after a car crash in Polk County Monday morning.
The crash happened east of Lake Wales on Highway 60 at Sam Keen Road around 7:20 a.m.
Michael Peterson, 50, of Lake Wales, was not wearing his seat belt, and was pronounced deceased at the scene, Polk County Sheriff’s Office said.
Peterson was driving a white GMC van eastbound on Hwy 60, and slammed into the back of a gooseneck trailer, which was being pulled by a blue Ford pickup truck. The truck and trailer had just completed an eastbound turn into the inside lane of Hwy 60 from Sam Keen Road, Polk County officials said.
The driver of the pickup truck, Gary Lightsey, 65, of Lake Wales, was wearing a seatbelt and was uninjured. He was hauling two large tanks of molasses. Some of the molasses spilled onto the roadway and had to be cleaned up.
Eastbound and Westbound lanes of Highway 60 at Sam Keen Rd are back open.
The investigation is ongoing, and will determine if Peterson’s speed or driver distraction may have been a cause.STORIES OTHERS ARE CLICKING ON:
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