ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — A driver who was lying in the northbound lanes of Florida's Turnpike after being thrown out of his car in a crash was run over and killed early Tuesday morning.
- Driver crashed into barrier, thrown from car on Florida's Turnpike
- Troopers say driver, from Kissimmee, was not wearing a seat belt
- He was run over by a semi as he lay in northbound lanes
- Get traffic updates with the Road Report
The crash closed parts of the Florida's Turnpike near the State Road 417 exit for several hours.
#Update: traffic is now moving again. All NB lanes back open on Fl Turnpike near SR 417 after deadly crash. We’ll have a live report about the tragic crash on @MyNews13 st the top of the hour.
— Deborah Souverain (@DebSouverainTV) March 26, 2019
At about 2:45 a.m., the driver of a 2018 Toyota four-door car was going northbound on the turnpike when for an unknown reason, he lost control and crashed into a barrier wall, the Florida Highway Patrol said.
The Toyota overturned several times, and 27-year-old Feliz Esquilin of Kissimmee, who troopers say was not wearing a seat belt, was thrown out of the vehicle. He landed in the outside lane of the roadway.
Soon after, a northbound semitractor trailer driven by 46-year-old Kirk Johnson of Plantation, approached. Johnson told troopers that he saw the car partially blocking the left lane but didn't see Esquilin lying in the road.
That's when the left front tire of the semi ran over the man, troopers said.
Johnson was not injured in the crash.
The crash is under investigation.
#TrafficAlert this is the backup from a different angle. All NB lanes on Turnpike in Osceola County are blocked off near exit 254..just past SR 417. Emergency crews are responding to a fatal crash. Seek an alternate route @MyNews13 pic.twitter.com/LHDGPUF2Df
— Deborah Souverain (@DebSouverainTV) March 26, 2019
#OrangeCounty: Fatal wreck on Florida's Turnpike that occurred near top of 3 o'clock hour has Northbound side SHUT DOWN past SR-417 (MM 252). Can't get past SR-417, also can't get on from Osceola Pkwy. Use OBT as alt #orlando #traffic pic.twitter.com/xk7CIpzTt1
— Ryan Harper (@RyanMHarper13) March 26, 2019