Girl, 17, killed when pickup hits tow truck parked along I-75 in Pasco

WESLEY CHAPEL — A 17-year-old Marion County girl died when the pickup truck she was riding in slammed into a tow truck that had stopped to help a motorist, the Florida Highway Patrol said.

The collision occurred about 11:35 p.m. Monday at Interstate 75 and State Road 56 in Wesley Chapel.

The pickup driver was heading north on I-75 in the outside lane when he failed to see the tow truck, the Highway Patrol said. The tow truck had its flashing yellow lights activated as the driver helped a van driver change a tire.

The right front of the pickup struck the left rear of the tow truck, causing the tow truck to spin and strike its operator.

The girl killed in the crash, from the Marion County community of Summerfield, was a passenger in the pickup. Another passenger, a 16-year-old Summerfield boy, received serious injuries. The pickup driver, 17, also of Summerfield, received minor injuries.

All three were wearing seatbelts.

The tow truck driver, a 36-year-old Zephyrhills man, received minor injuries.

The Highway Patrol did not release the names of those involved in the collision because of its interpretation of Marsy’s Law, a constitutional amendment passed by voters in 2018 that was meant to protect crime victims but deprives the public of information that had long been made available under the state’s public records law.