The PCSO Traffic Unit investigated a two-vehicle crash with serious bodily injury last evening in Lakeland. Preliminary details are as follows:
Around 8:10 p.m. on Thursday, April 29, 2021, 48-year-old Johnnie Woods of Lakeland was driving his 1997 gold Nissan XE pickup truck eastbound on CR 540-A just east of Scott Lake Road while at the same time 38-year-old Mitchell Elliott of Lakeland was driving his 2012 black Honda Accord westbound.
Elliott proceeded into the center turn lane to turn into the shopping plaza on the south side of the roadway. Elliott then entered into the path of the Nissan truck. During the collision, airbags deployed in both vehicles. Elliott suffered life-threatening head injuries, and was transported from the scene as a trauma alert; he is in critical condition at a local hospital. Woods was taken to Bartow Regional Medical Center for minor injuries. It is unknown at this time if either driver was wearing a seat belt. Both drivers were the sole occupants of their vehicles. The investigation is ongoing. The roadway was closed for approximately three hours during the investigation.
