A 34-year-old North Port man was killed Friday night after his car struck the rear of another vehicle and crashed into a tree along Interstate 75 in Sarasota County, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
The fatal crash happened at about 8:51 p.m. near Mile Marker 177 on Interstate 75, by the Toledo Blade Boulevard exit near North Port.
FHP said the North Port man was driving a Chevrolet Impala in the outside northbound lane when he failed to slow down or stop for traffic ahead.
The front right side of the Impala struck the left rear of a Toyota being driven by a 31-year-old Homestead man, troopers said.
After the collision, the Impala traveled off the roadway and crashed into a tree.
The North Port driver was pronounced dead at the scene, according to FHP.
The driver of the Toyota was not injured.
The crash remains under investigation.
Florida’s 2026 crash statistics
The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles reports there were 194,796 crashes in Florida through July 23, 2026, including 1,420 fatalities.
The department’s Florida Crash Dashboard also reported 125,634 injuries, 1,317 fatal crashes and 83,794 injury crashes statewide during the same period.
Wade Tatangelo is the executive editor of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune and Florida dining and entertainment editor for the USA TODAY Network. Follow him on Facebook, Instagram, and X. He can be reached by email at wade.tatangelo@heraldtribune.com. Support local journalism by subscribing.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: 34-year-old Sarasota County man killed in I-75 crash, FHP says.
Reporting by Wade Tatangelo, Sarasota Herald-Tribune / Sarasota Herald-Tribune
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Wade Tatangelo, Sarasota Herald-Tribune | USA TODAY Network
