Jacksonville man, 71, dies after pickup hits his car from behind in Lutz

LUTZ — A Jacksonville man died after a pickup truck slammed into the back of his car Monday morning as he was stopped at a stoplight on U.S. 41 in Lutz, the Florida Highway Patrol said.

The collision occurred about 4:40 a.m. Monday outside the Walmart Supercenter, about half a mile south of the highway’s intersection with Dale Mabry Highway.

The Jacksonville man, 71, was headed south, stopped at the stoplight, when the pickup driver — a 34-year-old Port Richey man ― failed to slow or stop and ran into the back of his car, the Highway Patrol said.

Upon impact, the pickup rolled off the road and struck a light pole. The driver, who was not wearing a seatbelt, received minor injuries.

The car came to a rest in the intersection. The driver, who was wearing a seatbelt, was taken to a hospital and later died there.

The Highway Patrol did not release their names because of its interpretation of Marsy’s Law, a voter-approved amendment to the state Constitution that was meant to protect crime victims but that deprives the public of information long available under Florida’s public records laws.