A crash involving five vehicles that occurred around 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, October 11, 2023, in Haines City resulted in the death of a Poinciana man.
The vehicles and drivers involved were:
23-year-old Jalen Gaskins of Winter Haven, driving a company-owned 2020 white Ford F-350 pickup truck
39-year-old Terence Gaskins of Lake Alfred, driving a 2017 silver Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck
32-year-old Yohanmi Mena Lopez of Poinciana, (deceased), driving his 2008 gray Subaru Tribeca
33-year-old Yomairy Lugo of Poinciana, (the deceased’s wife), driving her 2019 gray Toyota Rav4
66-year-old Luis Perez of Auburndale, driving a 2019 white Hyundai Santa Fe
All of these drivers were wearing seatbelts. It was not raining when the crash occurred, and it was still light outside. There were several witnesses to the crash as well.
The crash occurred on 17/92 near the intersection with Dyson Road. According to the investigation so far, Jalen Gaskins was traveling in the right lane westbound on 17/92 with Terence Gaskins behind him and in the left lane. Terence had just taken Jalen to pick up the white Ford truck that was just purchased by their employer, and they were both heading back to work. As Jalen approached the intersection, a vehicle had just completed a U-turn onto 17/92 and was traveling west in the right lane. Jalen attempted to change lanes and go around that vehicle when he lost control of the truck and slid and rotated, striking the truck Terence was driving with minor damage and no injuries to either driver.
The white Ford truck continued spinning and crossed the center median, into the eastbound lanes, colliding with Lopez in the Subaru. The Subaru went off the roadway and into a shallow ditch. Lopez suffered fatal injuries and died at the scene. The white truck Jalen was driving flipped onto the driver’s side in the eastbound lanes, and was then struck by Lopez’s wife, who was driving her Toyota Rav4 behind her husband. She was taken to a local hospital where she was treated and released.
The white Hyundai Santa Fe being driven by Luis Perez was also heading eastbound. He traveled past the crashed vehicles, through the debris, and went off the roadway, striking an embankment.
The roadways were shut down for approximately five hours during the investigation, which is ongoing. Photos from the scene are attached. The silver Chevy Silverado is not seen in any of the photos – that truck remained in the westbound lanes, and the photos depict the vehicles that crashed in the eastbound lanes.
Yohanmi Lopez was enrolled at the Polk State College Kenneth C. Thompson Institute of Public Safety (KCTIPS) law enforcement academy.
