Tampa driver dies after he’s forced off U.S. 41 into power pole, troopers say
RUSKIN — A 38-year-old Tampa man was killed Saturday when another driver knocked his vehicle off U.S. 41 and sent him crashing into a power pole, troopers say.
The man’s vehicle was trapped beneath downed power lines at the crash scene, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
The crash took place about 6:45 p.m. on U.S. 41 north of Valroy Road near the Manatee RV Park.
A 41-year-old Tampa man driving south on U.S. 41 overtook the other vehicle in the inside lane and then started entering the right lane to pass. But the driver’s left-front end struck the right-rear of the victim’s vehicle, troopers say.
The collision caused the first car to travel into the west shoulder. When the driver over-corrected, troopers say, the car re-entered the southbound lanes and rolled over. The driver was wearing a seat belt and suffered minor injuries.
The victim’s vehicle was forced off the roadway, troopers say, entered the west shoulder, crashed into a power pole and overturned. The driver died at the scene of the crash.
The Highway Patrol did not release the name of the two men because of its interpretation of Marsy’s Law, a voter-approved amendment to the state Constitution that was meant to protect crime victims but that deprives the public of information long available under Florida’s public records law.
