LAKE ALFRED, Fla. — A woman was killed after her car hit a utility pole Sunday afternoon in Lake Alfred, the Polk County Sheriff's Office wrote in a release.
Dispatchers received a call around 1:15 p.m. about a crash in the area of Lake Mattie Road at Adams Barn Road, where there is a sharp, 90-degree turn.
Deputies say they arrived to find a 2001 silver Dodge Caravan had crashed into a concrete pole on the east side of Adams Barn Road. The driver, 49-year-old Patricia Bixler, was pronounced dead while her son, 18-year-old Bobbi Bowen, was taken to the hospital.
He is expected to make a full recovery.
According to the release, the mother and son recently moved to Lake Wales and were likely not familiar with the roadway. Deputies say it appears that Bixler failed to brake in order to negotiate the sharp turn, left the road and crashed into the pole.
Both the mom and son were wearing seatbelts and the airbags were deployed, the sheriff's office added.
The road was closed for about two and a half hours but has since reopened. The investigation into the crash is ongoing.
