Driver killed when semi slams into back of his car on Hillsborough, troopers say

TAMPA — A 49-year-old Land O’ Lakes man was killed when a semitrailer slammed into his car as he was stopped at a traffic signal on East Hillsborough Avenue, the Florida Highway Patrol said.

The collision occurred about 2:20 a.m. Wednesday just west of Harney Road.

The driver of the car was headed west, stopped for a traffic signal at the entrance to the NetPark Tampa Bay office campus. The semitrailer, driven by a 28-year-old Midland, Texas, man, failed to slow or stop, collided with the rear of the car and pushed it through the intersection, the Highway Patrol said.

Both vehicles came to rest on the grass media. The driver of the car was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the truck received minor injuries.

The truck driver was wearing a seat belt. It was not clear whether the other driver was.

An investigation is underway.

The Highway Patrol did not identify the drivers because of its interpretation of Marsy’s Law, a constitutional amendment passed by Florida voters in 2018 that was meant to protect crime victims but deprives the public of information long available under the state’s public records law.