Three people were killed and two children seriously injured Sunday night in a head-on collision on County Road 54 in Pasco County.
The crash occurred shortly after 7 p.m. when a 2015 Mazda sedan driven by 30-year-old Elvin Michael Benitez, of Zephyrhills, pulled into the eastbound lane of CR 54 to pass other traffic. Benitez drove directly into the path of a 2005 Toyota Camry driven by 38-year-old Dennis George Wilkes, of Lakeland, causing the two vehicles to hit head-on in an area just west of Chantel Drive, a Florida Highway Patrol report states.
Benitez was ejected from his vehicle as it rotated to the south shoulder of the roadway and overturned. He was pronounced dead at the scene, the FHP report says.
Wilkes’ Toyota also spun and collided with a wire fence before coming to rest on the south shoulder of the road. He and his passenger, 27-year-old Chrisstina A. Farmer, of Winter Haven, also were pronounced dead at the scene of the crash.
Two children riding in Benitez’s vehicle, both of Zephyrhills, suffered serious injuries. John Arel, 11, was transported to Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center, while Jasmine Benitez, 6, was taken to Tampa General Hospital, the FHP report says.
The accident remains under investigation but FHP investigators have determined that alcohol was not a factor in the crash, the report says, adding that everyone involved except Elvin Benitez was wearing a seat belt.