66-year-old woman died as a result of injuries
The Sarasota Police Department Traffic Unit is investigating a fatal crash that happened just after 2:45 a.m. on Thursday, June 1, in the city of Sarasota, the department announced.
The two-vehicle incident occurred near the intersection of Rose Street and South Tamiami Trail (U.S. 41), a news release said. The site is a couple of blocks south of the intersection of Webber Street and U.S. 41, a map shows. Rose Street, which runs east of South Osprey Avenue, is primarily a residential street.
The 66-year-old female driver of an SUV was traveling northbound in the southbound lanes of U.S. 41 when she crashed into a box truck at the intersection of Rose Street and U.S. 41, the release explains.
She died at the scene, the release added.
“The driver of the box truck, a 48-year-old man, was taken to Sarasota Memorial Hospital as a precaution,” the release continued. As of approximately 2:15 p.m., the man remained hospitalized, the release said.
“U.S. 41 from the intersection of Bougainvillea Street to Goldenrod Street was closed for several hours for the investigation,” the release added.
In a June 1 Facebook post, the Police Department wrote that it was not until 7:15 a.m. that the northbound lanes of U.S. 41 had reopened to vehicles. As of 8 a.m. that day, all of the lanes once again were available to drivers.
Initially, the post noted, the SUV driver was reported to have sustained life-threatening injuries. Further, the Facebook post said that one of the vehicles caught fire as a consequence of the collision.
Officers were unsure at the time the release was issued whether drugs, alcohol or speed played a part in the crash. The incident remained under investigation by the Sarasota Police Department Traffic Unit.