Driver loses control on I-275; car hits tree, splits in half, catches fire: FHP

At around 4 a.m. Sunday, a driver died after veering off of Interstate 275 and crashing into a tree.

According to a news release from the Florida Highway Patrol, Cliff J. Pierre Jacques, 32, of Wesley Chapel, was headed northbound when he reached a bend in the interstate north of Bearss Avenue.

He was driving fast, and he had trouble navigating the curve. Pierre Jacques left the road in his BMW sedan, crashing it into a tree off the east side of the road, the release said.

After hitting the tree, the car “split in half” and the rear half caught fire, the release said.

Pierre Jacques died at the scene.

The release said the crash was alcohol related, and that the driver was not wearing a seat belt.