JASPER — A Jasper man was killed Wednesday afternoon after starting a four-vehicle crash that included a North Carolina utility crew helping restore power following Hurricane Helene.
According to a Florida Highway Patrol release, a southbound Ford Ranger driven by a 27-year-old Jasper man rear-ended a Honda HRV parked on U.S. Highway 41 northwest of Jasper at 1:18 p.m. Wednesday as it waited for a bucket truck to pass headed north.
The FHP release said the Jasper man’s pickup then spun across the center line and passed into the northbound lane of U.S. 41 where the bucket truck ran into its left side. The utility truck overturned onto its side.
The Jasper man was killed in the crash. A passenger in the pickup, a 21-year-old Jasper man, suffered critical injuries and was transported to an area hospital.
After the initial crash, the Honda HRV was pushed into the shoulder where it collided with a Hyundai Sonata that veered onto the shoulder to try to avoid the crash. The Honda driver, a 59-year-old Jasper woman, was also transported to the hospital with minor injuries. The Hyundai’s driver, a 34-year-old Jasper woman, was not injured nor were her passengers — an 80-year-old female, an 8-year-old female and a 6-year-old male, all from Jasper.
The driver of the bucket truck, a 28-year-old North Carolina man, also suffered minor injuries and was taken to an area hospital. Two other linemen on the truck, a 22-year-old and a 27-year-old, also from North Carolina, also went to the hospital with minor injuries.