A 34-year-old man died after his van struck the back of a semitrailer Monday morning on U.S. 41 in Manatee County, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
The crash occurred at about 6:37 a.m. Sept. 14 near the intersection of U.S. 41 and South Dock Street.
The Wimauma man was driving a 2021 Ford van south in the right lane of U.S. 41 as he approached South Dock Street, FHP reported.
A 53-year-old Naples man driving a 2008 Volvo semi had been stopped at a stop sign while facing east on South Dock Street. The truck turned right onto the southbound lanes of U.S. 41 and began accelerating in the right lane.
The front of the van then struck the rear trailer portion of the semi, according to FHP.
The van driver was taken to an area hospital with serious
injuries and later pronounced dead. The semi driver was not injured.
FHP did not release the name of either driver.
The crash remains under investigation.
Florida’s 2026 crash statistics
The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles reports there were 234,990 crashes in Florida through Sept. 3, 2026, including 1,660 fatalities.
The department’s Florida Crash Dashboard also reported 150,958 injuries, 1,543 fatal crashes and 100,764 injury crashes statewide during the same period.
Wade Tatangelo is the executive editor of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune and Florida dining and entertainment editor for the USA TODAY Network. Follow him on Facebook, Instagram, and X. He can be reached by email at wade.tatangelo@heraldtribune.com. Support local journalism by subscribing.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: 34-year-old man dies in van-semi crash on U.S. 41 in Manatee
