WINTER HAVEN, Fla. — Two Polk County teens are dead after the car they were in collided Thursday afternoon with a Coca-Cola semi-truck in Winter Haven, deputies said.
The crash happened around 2:20 p.m. Thursday on Recker Highway near Commercial Boulevard, the sheriff's office said in a release.
When first responders arrived at the scene, both teens inside the silver 2016 Buick LaCrosse were dead. They were identified as 19-year-old Cameron Williams of Auburndale and 18-year-old Neil Bryant II of Winter Haven.
The driver of the Coca-Cola semi-truck, a 61-year-old man from Riverview, was taken to the hospital for treatment before being released.
Based on their investigation, deputies say the semi was driving southbound on Recker Highway and the Buick was going north when it hit a big puddle and lost traction. This caused the car, driven by Williams, to spin counterclockwise and enter the southbound lane right into the semi-truck's path.
As a result, the front of the semi hit the Buick's passenger side, causing both vehicles to leave the roadway and crash into a nearby utility pole.
The collision resulted in Bryant being ejected from the Buick. Neither he nor Williams appeared to be wearing their seatbelt, deputies said.
The sheriff's office said its investigation is still ongoing.
