12-year-old Clermont girl among dead in Polk County 7-vehicle crash

POLK COUNTY, Fla. — A 12-year-old girl, along with three others were killed in a seven-vehicle crash Tuesday morning on Interstate 4 in Polk County, Florida Highway Patrol Troopers said.

A 22-year-old man, from Haines City, was driving his Ford F250 eastbound on Interstate 4 in the center lane near Memorial Boulevard in Lakeland, when he lost control and struck a the front of another vehicle driven by Zakhary Rogers, troopers said. Rogers and his passenger were not injured. Troopers believe the truck was traveling at a high rate of speed with or near a Prius moments before the crash.

The Ford 250 flipped several times and landed on I-4 westbound. The 22-year-old driver died, his name has not been released yet. When the truck came to a rest on the westbound lanes, a third vehicle, driven by Elma Gatcha, 36, from Clermont, struck the truck. Elma Gatcha is in critical condition, her passenger, Cassie Ann Gatcha, 12, died, troopers said.

A fourth vehicle driving in the westbound lanes hit debris from the F250. That driver was not seriously hurt.

A man from Venezuela and his passenger were the fifth vehicle involved and was trying to slow down for the crash when he was rear-ended by a truck driven by a 44-year-old man. The man from Venezuela slammed into a concrete barrier and died. His passenger, Leondardo Mathieu-Turallas, 59, from Alpharetta, Georgia, died at the scene, troopers said.

A seventh vehicle was involved in the crash when the driver hit debris from the wrecks. That driver was not hurt.

All lanes of Interstate 4 are open.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

Cox Media Group