A three-car crash claimed the lives of two passengers on May 25, and a total of five people were transported from the scene for hospital treatment.
According to Florida Highway Patrol, a 2002 Toyota Corolla driven by Edilberto Nava-Marcos, 18, of Mulberry, was traveling westbound on Trapnell Road around 2:30 p.m. and ran a red light, where it was struck by a 2015 Honda Civic traveling southbound on State Road 39. The Corolla rotated and struck a 2006 Ford Freestar, which had been stopped at the red light on Trapnell Road.
Nava-Marcos was transported to Lakeland Regional Medical Center with critical injuries. Passenger Pepe Salgado, 18, of Mulberry, died after being transported to Tampa General Hospital, and passenger Frinzi Salgado-Diaz, 15, of Mulberry, was pronounced dead at the scene. All three were wearing seat belts, and alcohol was not believed to be a factor in the incident.
The driver of the Civic, Danisia Fontanez, 28, of Plant City, was traveling with three passengers, all of Plant City. She and passenger Natalie Ortiz, 25, had no reported injuries, but Ortiz was transported to LRMC with two juvenile passengers, both of whom had minor injuries. The driver of the Freestar, Alma Reyes, 31, of Plant City, was not injured, and neither she nor her two juvenile passengers went to a hospital.