Tampa man killed in head-on crash with semi-truck

A Tampa man was killed in a head-on collision with a semi-truck on Saturday in Polk County after trying to pass traffic in the oncoming lane, authorities said.

The crash occurred on U.S. Highway 98 North at Earnest Road at about 3:16 a.m.

Polk County Fire Rescue (PCFR) and the Polk County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) both arrived on scene.

According to PCSO traffic homicide detectives, the semi-truck was driving northbound on U.S. 98 North while the victim’s 2020 Chevy Silverado was traveling south.

When the pickup truck driver attempted to pass another vehicle southbound, he entered the oncoming northbound lane and into the path of the semi-truck. The two vehicles then hit head-on.

The driver of the semi-truck and his passenger, both from Orlando, were uninjured during the crash.

The driver of the Chevy pick-up, a 36-year-old Tampa man, was killed instantly, Sheriff’s Office officials said.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has issued a consumer alert for replacement airbags that have killed at least three people in the past year. I-Team investigator Adam Walser discovered one victim was a young Florida mother whose family has filed a lawsuit alleging a counterfeit Chinese airbag exploded in her car and killed her.

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