A Wednesday night drive in Mulberry turned deadly when an SUV driver was ejected in a violent crash with a dump truck on Church Avenue near Carter Road, according to local authorities. Construction workers at the scene pulled the trapped motorist from the wreckage before first responders arrived, but the driver later died at a nearby hospital.
What happened
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office told Tampa Bay 28 the crash occurred around 8 p.m. on Feb. 11. Investigators say a 2004 Chevrolet Suburban hit the left rear of a dump truck that was finishing a U-turn while hauling millings. The impact caused the Suburban to spin and flip, tearing away its right side. Deputies reported the driver was not wearing a seat belt and was thrown into the median, where the driver became partially trapped before workers freed the motorist.
Seat belts and ejection risk
Safety studies have long linked seat belt use with sharply lower odds of being ejected and killed in a crash, especially in larger SUVs. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, wearing a lap-and-shoulder belt cuts the risk of fatal injury for SUV occupants by about 60% and helps keep people from being thrown from the vehicle in severe collisions.
Investigation ongoing
Polk County deputies told Tampa Bay 28 they detected an odor of alcohol on the Suburban driver at the scene before the driver was hospitalized. The dump truck operator, investigators noted, showed no obvious signs of impairment. The Polk County Sheriff’s Office said its Traffic Homicide Investigation unit is handling the case, and officials report that additional details remain under review.
