An 89-year-old woman died after being airlifted from the scene of a crash Wednesday in Lake County.
The elderly woman had been driving a 2014 Nissan Sentra at 1:47 p.m. westbound on State Road 44 in Eustis when her car was struck by a trailer from a tractor trailer truck that was eastbound on State Road, according to an accident report from the Florida Highway Patrol.
The driver of the tractor trailer truck had slowed for a vehicle ahead of it, but the driver lost control. The trailer veered into the westbound lane and struck the woman’s car.
A 72-year-old Debary man driving a 2018 Ford E-450, who was also eastbound on State Road 44 when his truck collided with the woman’s Nissan Sentra, which had been thrust into his path after the collision with the trailer. He was not injured, but his passengers suffered minor injuries and were transported to a local hospital.
The elderly woman in the Nissan Sentra was airlifted to HCA Lake Monroe Hospital where she was later pronounced dead.
The driver of the semi which had been hauling the trailer fled the scene. A trooper from FHP caught up with the truck, but the driver claimed he did not know his truck struck the elderly woman’s car. His truck and trailer had sustained damage consistent with the crash. He was being interviewed by law enforcement and charges were pending.