EUSTIS, Fla. – An 89-year-old Eustis woman was killed Wednesday when a semitruck trailer struck her vehicle on State Road 44, causing her car to collide with a passenger bus, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
The fatal wreck happened around 1:45 p.m. near Forest Ridge Road.
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According to a crash report, the semitruck was heading east along SR-44 when the driver, a 58-year-old Miami man, tried to slow down for a vehicle ahead. However, the driver lost control of the semitruck’s trailer, which veered into the westbound lane and struck an oncoming Nissan Sentra, the FHP said.
The impact caused the Nissan, driven by the Eustis woman, to go into the eastbound lane in the direct path of a Ford E-450, a passenger bus, troopers said. The Nissan and bus collided head-on.
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The Nissan driver was airlifted to the hospital, where she later died, the FHP said.
The passenger bus driver was uninjured and remained at the scene. There were 12 passengers on the bus and four were taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
FHP said the semitruck kept driving east and didn’t remain at the scene, but the semi was later located near County Road 42.
Troopers stopped the semitruck and saw damage on the vehicle “consistent with the collision,” the crash report said. The driver told troopers he did not know his trailer hit the vehicle, FHP said.
Charges are pending, and an investigation is ongoing.
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