A 40-year-old St. Petersburg man has died after a multi-vehicle crash on Park Boulevard left him trapped inside his Kia sedan, with firefighters forced to cut open the wreckage to pull him free. The man was driving westbound near 83rd Street North around 2:15 p.m. on Sunday when a 49-year-old Seminole woman driving an Acura SUV eastbound turned left directly into his path, according to Florida Highway Patrol troopers.
The crash, first reported by IONTB, unfolded in unincorporated Seminole, where the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office provides law enforcement, according to Jones Law Group. State troopers said the Kia struck the Acura after the SUV turned left as both vehicles approached the 83rd Street North intersection. The impact sent the Kia careening into a private driveway, where it then struck an unoccupied, parked Hyundai sedan, according to the Tampa Free Press.
Extrication Crews Battled to Free Trapped Driver
Firefighters cut portions of the Kia to free the driver, who was trapped by the dashboard, according to IONTB. The Kia driver was rushed to a trauma center with serious injuries, while the Acura driver was transported to an area hospital as a trauma alert. Paramedics took both drivers to local hospitals for treatment, but the 40-year-old Kia driver later succumbed to his injuries at the hospital, the Tampa Free Press reported.
The scene drew first responders from five local agencies — the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office, Florida Highway Patrol, Lealman Fire District, Seminole Fire Rescue, and Pinellas Park Fire Department. The Florida Highway Patrol has not released the names of the individuals involved, and it remains unclear whether troopers will issue a citation to the Acura driver once their crash reconstruction is complete.
Left-Turn Law Puts Burden on Turning Drivers
Under Florida Statute § 316.122, a driver intending to turn left at an intersection or into a driveway must yield the right-of-way to any oncoming vehicle within the intersection or close enough to pose an immediate hazard, according to The Florida Senate. A violation of that statute is classified as a noncriminal traffic infraction punishable as a moving violation, though such citations do not automatically establish civil liability in personal injury or wrongful death claims.
Pattern of Deadly Turns and Crashes Across Pinellas
This is not the first fatal left-turn collision near Seminole this year. In August, a 45-year-old motorcyclist was killed on nearby Seminole Boulevard when an oncoming driver turned left directly into his path. And just last month, a speeding Kia flipped and struck a utility pole and tree in a fatal rollover on Park Street North in St. Petersburg, underscoring how dangerous Pinellas County's Park-named thoroughfares have become.
