At approximately 4:08 p.m. on Sunday, February 11, 2024, members of the City of Seminole Fire Rescue responded to a vehicle crash at 102nd Avenue and 131st Street in Seminole. First responders found a sedan overturned in a pond off 102nd Avenue, just west of Botanica Drive. Firefighters conducted a thorough search for potential occupants still trapped in the vehicle. They successfully extricated one adult male and initiated CPR.
A brush truck with a wince from the City was requested to upright the vehicle, allowing for a complete inspection for any additional occupants. Upon uprighting the vehicle, it was determined that only one occupant was inside at the time of the crash.
According to investigators, 27-year-old Taylor Titus was traveling westbound on 102nd Avenue in his 2016 Mazda sedan in the area of Botanica Drive when Taylor’s sedan crossed across the eastbound travel lanes of 102nd Avenue and left the roadway for an unknown reason. The vehicle struck a fence and came to a final rest upside down in a nearby retention pond.
Taylor was transported to a local hospital, where he died from his injuries.
Taylor’s Instagram account shows him as a Video Creator. He posted many videos about his life, including his father’s murder of his mother. His father ultimately died by suicide in jail. He then spent time in the foster care system and then, years later, was shot by his stepfather.
Deputies from the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) closed all lanes on 102nd Avenue from 125th Street to 131st Street during the incident. Crews from Madeira Beach Fire Department and Pinellas Suncoast Fire & Rescue assisted at the scene.
The Major Accident Investigation Team (M.A.I.T.) from PCSO is currently on-scene, conducting an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the crash. Deputies are investigating whether speed or impairment are factors in the crash.
Any updates about this incident will be posted on iontb.com.