PASCO COUNTY, Fla. — A five-vehicle chain-reaction crash on Interstate 75 in Pasco County on Friday left one man dead, authorities said.
According to a Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) report, a Tesla Model S, driven by a 69-year-old Longboat Key man, was traveling southbound on I-75 along with several other vehicles at about 3:15 p.m.
Near the 277-milepost, the Tesla left the travel lane and collided with a second vehicle, a Ford F150 driven by a 43-year-old Riverview woman. She had an 11-year-old boy with her in the car.
The Tesla then hit a third car, a Toyota Corolla, driven by a70-year-old Wesley Chapel man. The impact caused the Corolla to crash into a 59-year-old St. Petersburg man, who was driving a Peterbilt truck.
Finally, the Tesla, which had continued south following the first two collisions, struck a fifth vehicle, a Volvo tractor-trailer, driven by a 31-year-old Tampa man.
The Tesla driver was taken to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead. The crash was likely caused by the Tesla driver having a medical emergency, FHP officials said.
The other drivers were not injured, the report stated.
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