A 78-year-old Villager has died as a result of a chain-reaction accident Wednesday evening on U.S. Hwy. 27/441.
Eva Barton had been a passenger in a 2005 Toyota Avalon driven by her husband, 83-year-old Richard Avalon. They had been stopped at a red light at 6:30 p.m. at the intersection of U.S. Hwy. 27/441 at County Road 466. Their northbound vehicle was rear-ended by a 2008 Jeep SUV driven by 34-year-old Tiffany Shannon of Summerfield, according to the Lady Lake Police Department. The force of the collision pushed the Bartons’ vehicle into a Dodge Ram pickup driven by Gerardo Zuluaga, 62, of Lady Lake.
Eva Barton was transported to The Villages Regional Hospital where she was later pronounced dead. Richard Barton was treated and released.
The investigation is ongoing and alcohol use is not suspected, police said.