U.S. 301 reopens in Hillsborough after fiery crash kills 2

THONOTOSASSA — Two people were killed and two others were seriously injured Thursday in a four-vehicle crash that closed U.S. 301 for several hours, troopers said.

The highway was closed in both directions just north of McIntosh Road where the crash happened shortly before 3 a.m., according to the Florida Highway Patrol. The road reopened to traffic by 9:45 a.m.

A 32-year-old Tampa woman drove her SUV over the highway’s centerline for an unknown reason and crashed into a pickup truck heading north, troopers said. The SUV rotated and remained on the highway while the pickup truck burst into flames on the shoulder.

Minutes after the initial collision, a semitrailer crashed into the SUV, sideswiped a fourth vehicle and struck a good Samaritan who was on foot and attempting to aid the initial crash victims, troopers said.

The SUV driver died at the scene. The pedestrian who helped crash victims before being struck, a 53-year-old man from Levittown, Pa., was airlifted to a hospital and also died Thursday morning.

The driver and passenger of the pickup, a 58-year-old woman and a 61-year-old man, both of Zephyrhills, were also airlifted to a hospital with serious injuries.

The driver of the semitrailer, a 69-year-old Port Charlotte man, sustained minor injuries in the crash. The fourth driver, whose pickup truck was sideswiped by the semitrailer, was not injured.

The Florida Highway Patrol did not release the names of anyone involved.

U.S. 301 is a major artery that connects East Pasco County with Tampa and is typically flush with commuters during the morning rush hour. The highway is a two-lane road where the crash occurred.