Brandon Residents In Critical Condition After I-275 Crash

Updated April 20 8:50 a.m.

Three Brandon residents are in serious condition after a crash on Interstate 275 early Sunday morning when a car driving the wrong way struck their Jeep.

Florida Highway Patrol says that a Chevrolet Lumina driven by Christopher B. Jackson, 37, of Sarasota, was traveling northbound on I-275 in the southbound right lane approaching U.S. 19 in Terra Ceia at 2:10 a.m. Jackson died from his injuries Tuesday, said Greg Bueno, spokesman for Florida Highway Patrol.

At the same time, a 2002 Jeep Wrangler was in the southbound left lane on I-275 and was struck by the Lumina, spinning both cars and blocking both lanes of the interstate and the center median, according to highway patrol.

The driver of the Wrangler, Jeremy J. Tomlinson, 24, and his passenger, Rachel E. Striker, 24, both of Brandon, are in serious condition at Blake Medical Center in Bradenton, according to highway patrol. A third passenger, Tyson K. Gordon, 23 of Brandon, was in serious condition at Bayfront Medical Center.

Both drivers are being tested to see if the crash was alcohol related, according to highway patrol, and charges are pending. The blood draws are pending analysis, Bueno said.