Three-vehicle crash leaves 1 dead, 2 injured

One person is dead and two other people were seriously injured in a threevehicle crash along SR-50 in Lake County Friday afternoon, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

The crash happened at 1:35 p.m. near Taylor Street when a dump truck traveling east crashed into a car from behind and pushed it into incoming westbound traffic, according to incident report.

Derrick Smart, 28, of Orlando was headed east and started slowing down to make a left turn onto Taylor, but the truck driving behind him failed to slow down for unknown reasons, the report states.

After the front of the truck hit the back of Smart’s 1999 4-door Buick, the car crashed headon an into a 2005 Nissan SUV, according to the report, causing the SUV to overturn.

The 62-year-old SUV driver was pronounced dead at the scene and a second passenger was transported to Orlando Regional Medical Center with critical injuries, the report states. The victims have not been identified by authorities.

Smart was transported to the hospital with serious injuries, the report states.

The truck driver, Irasema Gort Valdes, 33, of Orlando, was not injured in the crash, the report states.

Troopers say charges are pending against Valdes and the crash remains under investigation.