SUMTER COUNTY, FL : Crash with injuries prompts closure on Florida Turnpike in Sumter County on Friday, 26th May 2023

A crash along the Florida Turnpike on Friday forced part of the roadway to shut down in Sumter County, according to the sheriff’s office.

In a preliminary crash report, the Florida Highway Patrol stated the crash happened in the northbound lanes of the Turnpike, south of mile marker 308, involving an SUV in the outside lane and a pickup truck traveling ahead of the SUV.

The driver of the SUV — identified as a 41-year-old Hernando man — “failed to drive in a safe and prudent manner,” crashing into the pickup truck and causing it to run off the roadway to the right, troopers said. The SUV continued in a northwesterly direction until its front struck the guardrail fence in the center median, rotating and striking the guardrail fence a second time, the report states.

The driver of the pickup truck — a 25-year-old Ocala man — stated he did not slow down or stop prior to the crash, troopers said.

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