The Polk County Sheriff’s Office Traffic Homicide Unit is investigating a traffic fatality that occurred around 5:45 a.m. this morning, Tuesday, October 29, 2024, at 2710 State Road 60 just west of Bartow, involving a semi tractor-trailer and a Dodge Ram pickup truck.
The driver of the Peterbuilt semi had pulled into the Henry Company’s east side parking lot at that location last night and slept overnight in his rig. This morning, employees at the business woke him up and asked him to come to the west side of the business to offload his tanker filled with mineral spirits. The driver came out of the lot and crossed the eastbound lanes of SR 60, then used the center median to make a U-turn to go back into the business parking lot on the west side. As he was crossing back over the eastbound lanes and entering the lot, the Dodge truck was heading eastbound on SR 60, being driven by a 73-year-old Lakeland man who apparently failed to see the semi crossing the roadway. The Dodge went completely under the trailer and exited out the other side, killing the driver instantly. He was the only occupant. The semi driver was not injured.
The investigation is ongoing. The roadway in that area was closed for approximately four hours.
