MARION COUNTY, Fla. -- A Marion County Sheriff's deputy was hospitalized with several broken bones after a head-on crash on County Road 314 late Wednesday night, the Florida Highway Patrol said.
- Marion County deputy involved in head-on crash
- Other driver also hospitalized in serious condition
- Neither driver wore seat belt before crash, FHP says
Troopers said that about 10:45 p.m., Jeffrey Lenway was driving a 2006 Toyota Tundra southbound on County Road 314, near 40th Street, when he allegedly crossed the center line and entered in the northbound lane.
That's when he struck Deputy Ryan Owens' marked patrol SUV head-on, an FHP report stated.
The 21-year-old Owens swerved to avoid Lenway's Tundra but wasn't able to avoid the crash, troopers said. The Tundra came to rest blocking both lanes, while the patrol SUV, a Ford Explorer, entered a grassy shoulder.
Lenway, a 48-year-old Silver Springs resident, and Owens, of Ocala, were both taken to Ocala Regional Medical Center in serious conditions, troopers said.
"(Owens suffered from) several broken bones and in surgery, but should recover (eventually)," FHP Master Sgt. Mark S. Weber said in an email.
Neither driver was wearing a seat belt before the crash, the FHP said.
No charges have been filed, and the FHP is continuing to investigate.