MULBERRY, Fla. — A person is dead after deputies say they crashed into a tree Thursday night in Polk County, causing the car to catch fire.
At about 11:39 p.m., the person was driving on Shepherd Road near Grandeville Boulevard in Mulberry, the Polk County Sheriff's Office said in a news release.
When authorities arrived at the scene, the car was already on fire. Deputies say crews were able to extinguish the flames but the driver was found dead inside the car.
The driver was reportedly speeding when their Chevrolet Camaro went over a hill near the intersection and then lost control.
The car then began to spin and went off the road on the north side. The person hit a speed limit sign and crashed head-on into an oak tree that split the car down the middle, authorities say.
Law enforcement officials have not yet identified the driver.
Shepherd Road was closed for about five hours but has since been reopened.
The investigation of the crash remains ongoing.
