Winter Haven Man Faces Charges After Police Accuse Him Of Causing Fatal, Fiery I-4 Crash

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, FL — Two St. Petersburg residents were killed in a fiery crash on Interstate-4 near 50th Street Dec. 15, the Florida Highway Patrol said.

A 34-year-old Winter Haven man who sped an Audi along the eastbound lanes at 1:42 a.m. slammed into the back of a Toyota Camry driven by a 39-year-old St. Petersburg man who had a 47-year-old male passenger also of St. Pete, investigators said. The Camry caught fire as it spun from the center lane where it had been hit. It stopped spinning at the outside shoulder of the interstate, according to a news release.

The Winter Haven driver and his two female passengers, 21 and 35, both of Tampa hit a guardrail following the crash into the Camry, authorities said.

The two St. Pete victims were pronounced dead at the crash location. Medical staff said the Winter Haven man and his two passengers remained in the hospital with critical injuries.

Troopers said the Winter Haven driver was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the crash. Charges are pending, an FHP spokesperson said.

*Due to Marsy's Law, FHP does not release the names of victims.