Around 5:55 p.m. on Wednesday, March 20, 2013, a 2001 Nissan four-door car was heading southbound on US Hwy 27 about 1,000 feet north of the intersection with CR 540 (Cypress Gardens Blvd) when for unknown reasons the driver lost control and the car crossed the median and entered into the southbound lanes of US Hwy 27.

The Nissan car struck a 2013 Nissan SUV which was heading northbound, causing the SUV to flip over and land along the east side of the roadway.

A 2006 Saturn Vue which was also heading northbound then struck the Nissan car – those two vehicles collided, causing great damage to both vehicles and instantly killing the front seat passenger of the Nissan car.

Occupants of the Nissan car:

Driver: 21-year-old Jeffrey Harris of 313 Poinsettia Avenue in Lake Placid; taken to Lakeland Regional Medical Center

Front seat passenger: 20-year-old Suleyka Najera of 119 Sunflower Drive in Lake Placid; deceased on-scene

Occupants of the Nissan SUV:

Driver: 39-year-old Raquel Fox of 7742 Linkside Loop in Reunion, FL; taken to Heart of Florida Hospital

Front seat passenger: her 16-year-old son, Rashad Fox, of the same address; taken to Heart of Florida Hospital

Occupants of the Saturn Vue:

Driver: 81-year-old Royce Pierson of #10 Deeley Way in Lake Wales; taken to LRMC

Front seat passenger: his 79-year-old wife, Constance Pierson, of the same address; taken to LRMC