A man and woman from Dunnellon were involved in a crash on Sunday afternoon that killed one person, and wounded two others, on Interstate 75 in Columbia County.
According to a report from the Florida Highway Patrol, two pickup trucks were traveling southbound on I-75, near mile marker 418, at around 1:35 p.m.
FHP stated that the first pickup truck was reportedly driving in an “erratic manner” when it sideswiped the second pickup truck. After the impact, the first pickup truck overturned and struck a tree on the west shoulder.
The second pickup truck came to a controlled stop near mile marker 418.
The driver of the first pickup truck, later identified as 32-year-old Sergio Diaz-Ortiz of Lake City, exited the vehicle after the crash and fled on foot into the nearby woods. A trooper noted in the report that Diaz-Ortiz was later apprehended by law enforcement and transported to Columbia County Jail.
The report stated that Diaz-Ortiz sustained minor injuries in the crash.
The first pickup truck had two passengers at the time of the accident: a 28-year-old man and another man (age unknown), both from Lake City. The 28-year-old passenger was pronounced deceased at the scene, and the second passenger was transported to UF Health Shands Hospital in Gainesville in serious condition, according to FHP.
The two occupants of the second pickup truck involved in the crash – a 57-year-old man (driver) and 51-year-old woman (passenger), both from Dunnellon – were not injured.
Diaz-Ortiz is currently being held without bond at Columbia County Jail. He is being charged with vehicular homicide, leaving the scene of a crash involving death, and operating a motor vehicle without a valid driver’s license.
The names of the other individuals involved in the accident were not released by the Florida Highway Patrol.