3 Die In Wrong-Way Crash On I-75: FHP

GIBSONTON, FL - Three people died on Thanksgiving after a car traveling the wrong way on southbound lanes of I-75 crashed head-on into another vehicle near Gibsonton Drive about 10 p.m., troopers said.

Justin B. Lakin, 21, of Bradenton was traveling northbound in the southbound center lane of the interstate when he crashed into a Ford Focus with a man and woman inside. The man and woman were identified as 24-year-old Lashay D. Waiters of Bradenton and 21-year-old Yvette R. Alexandre of Ruskin.

Troopers are still trying to determine how long Lakin was driving in the wrong direction.

Alexandre and Waiters had just gotten engaged in October and planned to marry in 2019, according to multiple reports. The couple, who were expecting their first child, had Thanksgiving dinner with a friend from Tampa and were driving home when the crash occurred.

All three people were taken to local hospitals where they later died. The crash closed southbound lanes on I-75 for several hours. Troopers don't believe alcohol was a factor in the crash, an FHP report said.

Image via Florida Highway Patrol