A single-vehicle crash just after midnight on Saturday morning resulted in the death of a passenger, and the hospitalization of the driver. The Polk County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the crash, which occurred at about 12:09 a.m. on Saturday, April 25, 2020, on U.S. 27, about a half-mile north of Lucerne Park Road in Haines City.
57-year-old Michael Browning of Haines City, was transported to Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center, but died from his injuries.
The driver of the vehicle, 51-year-old Sandra Mayberry of Haines City, was also transported to LRHMC, in stable condition.
According to the preliminary investigation, Mayberry was driving a white 2007 Chevy 2500 truck, north on U.S. 27 in the outside lane.
For unknown reasons at this time, the truck swerved to the right, went off of the roadway, and overturned several times. The truck struck a barbed wire fence and came to a rest in a cow pasture on the east side of the highway.
Ms. Mayberry was wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash, but Mr. Browning was not.
The Florida Department of Transportation assisted deputies by rerouting traffic around the crash site. The roadway was closed for about four hours.
The cause of the crash has not yet been determined, and the investigation is ongoing.
