Head-on collision leaves two dead in Thonotosassa

THONOTOSASSA — Two men were killed in a head-on collision early Saturday on U.S. 301 in northeastern Hillsborough County, troopers say.

The crash took place about 3:50 a.m. on U.S. 301 north of St. Francis Lane, northeast of Lake Thonotosassa, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

A 29-year-old Dade City man was driving a pickup truck north on U.S. 301. Headed in the opposite direction was a 61-year-old Zephyrhills man driving south on U.S. 301.

Then for reasons unknown to the highway patrol, the 29-year-old Dade City driver crossed the centerline and entered the SUV’s path. The two vehicles collided, troopers say.

The pickup spun and came to a stop in the northbound lane. The SUV rolled over and fell off a bridge and landed in a ditch. Both drivers died at the scene of the crash. Both were wearing seatbelts.

The Highway Patrol did not release the names of the men involved in the crash 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 law.