Manatee Co., Fla. (970 WFLA) - A rollover crash killed a passenger of the SUV involved Saturday afternoon, the Florida Highway Patrol said.
Pedro Cartagena, 30, of Plant City, drove west on State Road 62 at about 1:25 p.m. when he slammed on the brakes to avoid hitting an animal in the road, the FHP said in a news release. Cartagena lost control of his GMC Yukon and it veered off the road, hit a ditch and flipped. Its roof collided with a pine tree stump.
Cartagena had his seat belt on and suffered only minor injuries. But a passenger, Juan Nolasco, 42, of Dover, was not buckled in, and suffered fatal injuries.Troopers cited Cartagena with careless driving and for driving without a valid license.