A Miami man was killed Tuesday when the box truck he was riding in slammed into the back of a stopped semi-truck on Interstate 75.
Lazaro Sanchez Estrado, 52, was pronounced dead at the scene by Marion County Fire Rescue. The crash took place at 12:31 p.m. on I-75 at Mile Marker 340 when traffic in the northbound center travel lane came to standstill due to another traffic incident several miles ahead, according to a Florida Highway Patrol report.
Estrado had been riding in a 2017 Hino Motors truck driven by 23-year-old Cesar Sanchez Hernandez, also of Miami. He was transported to Ocala Regional Medical Center with serious injuries.
The driver of the 2019 Volvo semi-truck that was hit from behind, 62-year-old Napolon Bala, of New Port Richey, received minor injuries in the crash, as did his passenger, 50-year-old Kujtim Jaho, 50, of Wheaton, Ill. They both were transported to West Marion Community Hospital.
The crash, which closed all northbound lanes of the interstate and forced traffic to detour onto County Road 484, remains under investigation and it’s unclear if alcohol was involved, the report says.