Interstate 4 rear-end crash leads to death of 37-year-old Tampa man

TAMPA — A 37-year-old Tampa man died early Saturday after he crashed his car into the back of another vehicle on eastbound Interstate 4 just east of the I-75 interchange, troopers say.

The crash took place about 1:13 a.m. The 37-year-old driver was heading east on I-4 at a “high rate of speed,” according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

Then he overtook another car in the eastbound lane driven by a 24-year-old Riverview man.

The 37-year-old Tampa man crashed into the back of the other car, was re-directed to the south shoulder of the interstate and then struck a tree, according to the highway patrol. He was taken to a hospital where he died from injuries sustained in the crash, troopers said.

The 24-year-old Riverview man’s car spun and came to a stop in the eastbound lane.

Both drivers were wearing seat belts, troopers said. 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.