Temple Terrace woman, 81, dies after crash on E Fowler Avenue

THONOTOSASSA — An 81-year-old Temple Terrace woman was fatally injured Monday when the car she was riding in was struck on E Fowler Avenue, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

The crash took place at about 10:15 a.m. at Fowler and U.S. 301. She was the passenger in a sedan driven by an 89-year-old man. The sedan was trying to exit a Winn Dixie plaza at the southwest corner of U.S. 301 and turn left into the westbound lane of Fowler, according to the Highway Patrol.

But as the sedan crossed Fowler’s eastbound lane, it drove into the path of a van traveling in the inside lane.

The van struck the left side of the sedan, troopers said. The sedan rotated and came to a rest in the westbound lanes of Fowler. The van came to rest along the south shoulder of Fowler.

The 81-year-old woman was taken to a local hospital, where troopers said she later died of her injuries.

The driver of the Sedan was an 89-year-old man from Temple Terrace. He suffered serious injuries. The van was driven by a 39-year-old woman from Thonotosassa. She sustained minor injuries. All three were wearing seat belts.

The Highway Patrol did not release the names of those involved in the crash under its interpretation of Marsy’s Law, a state constitutional amendment designed to protect victims of crimes. The agency now omits the names of anyone involved in a crash, regardless of whether a crime was committed.

The investigation into the crash is ongoing.