Emergency responders were immediately sent to the scene of a collision just before 10 p.m. on Tuesday, June 20, 2023, in the northbound lanes in front of Palm Garden of Largo at 10500 Starkey Road in unincorporated Largo.
The City of Seminole Fire Rescue and Largo Fire Rescue teams swiftly arrived at the location and discovered two individuals ejected from the severely damaged vehicle involved in the crash.
Troopers from the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) say that the vehicle was traveling northbound at high speed on Starkey Road, approaching Bardmoor Place, when the driver lost control.
The vehicle departed the roadway, entered the shoulder, struck a guide wire for a utility pole, finally collided with a block wall, and separated into two pieces. The rear half of the vehicle continued northwest, colliding with a tree and two wood fences before coming to final rest in the backyard of a nearby residence located at 10422 Longwood Drive.
Both occupants were transported to an area hospital with serious injuries, with the passenger later expiring from injuries suffered during the crash.
The passenger in the vehicle, a 30-year-old male from Apalachicola, who sustained critical injuries, was promptly transported to HCA Florida Largo Hospital, where he died.
The 26-year-old male driver from Largo was transported to the Bayfront Health St. Petersburg trauma center with serious injuries.
Due to the ongoing investigation and the severity of the incident, all northbound lanes of Starkey Road were closed until approximately 2 a.m.
Further updates will be provided as soon as they become available from the FHP.
