LAKELAND, Fla. — An elderly couple from Lakeland was killed Monday in a multi-vehicle crash.
The Polk County Sheriff's Office says around 12:45 p.m., they received a 911 call in reference to a crashing involving four cars on U.S. Highway 98 just north of Socrum Loop Road in Lakeland.
Witnesses told deputies that a truck was stopped in the northbound lanes of U.S. Highway 98 waiting for oncoming traffic to go by so it could turn left into the parking lot of the VFW. This truck was not involved in the crash, the sheriff's office stated in a press release.
A 2014 silver Dodge Grand Caravan was in the process of stopping or was already completely stopped behind the truck.
That's when deputies said a 2019 silver Ford F-350 pickup being driven northbound by a 24-year-old Winter Haven man failed to see the two vehicles in front of him in time to avoid a collision.
He swerved to the right at the last second but his truck hit the back of the Dodge Caravan, propelling the van into the southbound lane, where it was struck by a 2003 burgundy Honda CRV, being driven south by Carol Bone, 73, with her husband, Gary Bone, 77, of Lakeland, in the passenger seat.
Deputies say the couple died almost immediately.
A 2019 black Chevrolet Trax being driven south, behind the CRV, swerved left to avoid hitting the Honda CRV after it collided with the Caravan, clipping it and causing the Trax to roll onto its roof.
The driver suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
Investigators say everyone involved in the crash was wearing seatbelts.
Deputies also say neither excessive speed, distraction, nor impairment on the part of pickup truck driver is suspected. He told deputies that he was following too closely and could not stop in time.
The investigation is ongoing.
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