Pennsylvania man dies, passenger injured after chain-reaction crash at red light in Sumter County, FHP says

Crash occurred on State Road 44 at Morse Boulevard

Police lights (file) (WJXT)

SUMTER COUNTY, Fla. – A Pennsylvania man died and his passenger was seriously injured Wednesday after their SUV was rear ended by a pickup truck at an intersection near Wildwood, causing a chain-reaction crash that involved six other vehicles, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

The 72-year-old man and his passenger in the SUV, a 71-year-old woman — both of Ebensburg, Pennsylvania — had stopped at a red light in the outside, westbound lane on State Road 44 at its intersection with Morse Boulevard, troopers said.

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According to a crash report, a pickup truck driven by a 49-year-old Williston man did not slow for the traffic signal and collided with the SUV at 5:35 p.m., thrusting it into the six other vehicles.

The Pennsylvania man was taken to an area hospital where he later died, and his passenger was hospitalized with serious injuries, troopers said. The Williston man received minor injuries in the crash, as did the drivers of the other six vehicles, the report states.

Troopers said the occupants of the SUV and pickup truck were all wearing seatbelts in the crash.

No other details were disclosed, including if charges are pending against the pickup truck’s driver.

Correction:

A previous version of this story sourced a crash report from the Florida Highway Patrol that included references to "Edensburg," Pennsylvania. The correct spelling is Ebensburg. We apologize for any confusion.