Florida Highway Patrol troopers pulled two women from an overturned vehicle before a fire broke out after a crash on Interstate 75 in Sumter County.
A 30-year-old woman from Tampa was driving a sport utility vehicle at 1:05 p.m. Thursday northbound on I-75 near Mile Marker 311 when her vehicle was struck by a vehicle driven by 21-year-old Thonotosassa man who was also traveling northbound, according to an accident report. He improperly changed lanes and struck the Tampa woman’s SUV, prompting it to leave the roadway and overturn.
Troopers had been on patrol nearby and immediately responded to the scene of the crash. They removed a 17-year-old female passenger as well as the driver from the SUV. The airbags deployed in the SUV and both women escaped serious injury. They were treated at the scene.
The troopers used extinguishers to put out a fire which had erupted in the engine compartment of the SUV. Sumter County Fire Rescue responded to the scene of the crash.
The Thonotosassa man was ticketed for no proof of insurance.