FHP: 1 dead, 2 seriously injured in Lake County wrong-way crash

LAKE COUNTY, Fla. — A man driving the wrong way on a Lake County highway died Monday after colliding head-on with another car.

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According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the 82-year-old Okahumpka man was driving northbound in the southbound lanes of U.S. Highway 27 near El Presidente Blvd. in Leesburg just before 7 p.m.

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Troopers say an SUV heading southbound on U.S. 27 hit the northbound vehicle and was then forced into a third vehicle that was also traveling southbound behind the SUV.

Troopers say the 82-year-old driver was pronounced dead on the scene. According to FHP, he was not wearing a seatbelt.

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The drivers of the second and third vehicles, a 36-year-old woman and 24-year-old man, both from Clermont, were each flown to area hospitals with injuries described as “serious” by FHP.

Southbound lanes of U.S. 27 were closed for hours for FHP’s investigation into the crash, which is ongoing.

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Cox Media Group