Two elderly residents from Marion County were killed in separate fatal accidents involving a tractor and a lawnmower just two hours and a few miles apart on Wednesday night.
The first of the accidents occurred near the intersection of NW 118th Street Road and NW 55th Court Road at around 6:40 p.m. on Wednesday, April 1.
According to a report from the Florida Highway Patrol, a Ford F-150 was traveling southbound on NW 118th Street Road when the driver, a 51-year-old man from Inverness, failed to negotiate a sharp right curve in the roadway.
As the pickup truck exited the roadway, it struck a traffic control sign before crashing into a lawnmower and a large tree. The operator of the lawnmower, a 73-year-old man from Reddick, was pronounced deceased at the scene. The driver of the F-150 sustained serious injuries in the crash.
The second fatal accident occurred near the intersection of U.S. Highway 27 and NW 160th Avenue at around 8:30 p.m. According to FHP, a 69-year-old man from Williston was driving a 4-door sedan northbound on U.S. Highway 27 in the outside lane.
As the sedan was traveling northbound, it rear-ended a large farm tractor that was traveling ahead of the vehicle. Both the driver and his passenger, a 73-year-old woman from Willston, were transported to a local hospital.
The woman died from her injuries, while the man was listed in critical condition. The driver of the farm tractor, a 28-year-old man from Ocala, was not injured in the crash.
This year, Marion County has recorded approximately 15 fatalities from crashes. At least two of the previous deaths were pedestrians, and two others were motorcyclists.