A May 24 crash that killed a 43-year-old man who drove 16 miles in the wrong direction down U.S. 1 from Riviera Beach to southern Martin County, also involved four others, ranging from 3 to 63 years of age, according to a May 25 news release from the Florida Highway Patrol, who are investigating the crash.
A full crash report is not expected for 10 days, and a Traffic Homicide Investigation Report not for 90 days, but the FHP release did provide multiple pieces of new information.
A 2022 Ford Escape SUV, driven by an unidentified 43-year-old man from West Palm Beach, was seen traveling north in the southbound lanes of U.S. 1 in Riviera Beach by US Border Patrol agents, who were traveling southbound in those lanes, according to the release.
“The Border Patrol vehicle made a U-turn and attempted to stop the Ford, but it continued traveling north in the southbound lanes at a high rate of speed,” according to the release.
The agents, traveling north in the northbound lanes, pursued the vehicle and notified local law enforcement, according to the release. Juno Beach Police Department and Jupiter Police Department officers responded and were eventually joined by Martin County Sheriff’s Office deputies as the chase crossed into Martin County, according to previous TCPalm reporting.
Along the 16-mile route the Ford traveled, all counter to the flow of traffic, it collided with multiple other vehicles, according to the release. Shortly after crossing into Martin County, near the entrance of Jonathan Dickinson State Park, the Ford crashed into a 2020 Land Rover Range Rover Sport SUV and a 2017 BMW X5 SUV, injuring occupants of both other vehicles. The release does not name the injured people, but identifies them as a 63-year-old female from Jupiter and a 39-year-old female, a 6-year-old male and a 3-year-old male, all from Brookhaven, Georgia.
After colliding with the Range Rover and BMW, the Ford “came to final rest on the west grass shoulder and caught on fire,” according to the release. The 43-year-old driver was pronounced dead by first responders on the scene.
As for the injured bystanders, Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek said their lives are not in danger as a result of their injuries.
“Thankfully for all four of them, it looks like considering the impact, and I’m talking about a significant amount of impact considering how bad this crash was, they will survive and hopefully make a full recovery,” Budensiek said.
Breaking news reporter Will Greenlee contributed to this report.
Wicker Perlis is TCPalm’s Watchdog Reporter for St. Lucie County. You can reach him at Wicker.Perlis@TCPalm.com.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Wrong-way driver killed after 16-mile chase on US 1 in South Florida
Reporting by Wicker Perlis, Treasure Coast Newspapers / Treasure Coast Newspapers
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