SUMTER COUNTY, Fla. – A crash on State Road 471 in Sumter County early Friday killed a Lakeland woman and left four other people hurt, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
The crash occurred around 1:20 a.m., south of County Road 788, as a 24-year-old California woman drove a Mercedes-Benz SUV south on S.R. 471 and a 26-year-old Lakeland man drove a Nissan Titan north, the latter vehicle towing an enclosed utility trailer, troopers said.
According to a preliminary FHP crash report, the Mercedes-Benz was traveling south in the northbound lane for an unknown reason and collided nearly head-on with the Nissan.
A 52-year-old Lakeland woman riding as a passenger in the Mercedes-Benz was pronounced dead at the scene while the SUV’s driver and another passenger in the vehicle — a 54-year-old California woman — suffered serious injuries and were taken to a hospital, the report states.
The Lakeland man driving the Nissan and his passenger, a 57-year-old Lakeland man, suffered minor injuries in the crash and were also hospitalized, troopers said.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Note: This map depicts the general area of this crash and not necessarily an exact location.