COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. (WINK) — Three people are dead after a crash on I-75 early Sunday morning near the Pine Ridge Road exit.
The Florida Highway Patrol said a box truck started drifting off the highway before it flipped on its side, blocking two lanes of traffic around 4 a.m. The driver of the truck sustained minor injuries, but the crash started a chain reaction with deadly consequences.
Troopers said a 25-year-old man got out of his car to help before a Tesla slammed into the truck, killing that man and two people in the car. Family members said that good Samaritan was 25-year-old Jonathan Garcia Arias, a former active-duty Marine.
Jonathan’s sister said he was funny, kind and always willing to help, including on Sunday morning. Troopers say Jonathan was taken to a hospital where he later died.
The two passengers in that Tesla, a 19-year-old man and 18-year-old man from Naples, were pronounced dead at the scene. WINK News is working to figure out who they were.
Lance Lauchle drove past the wreck Sunday morning as crews were cleaning up. At first, he didn’t think it was that bad.
“That’s just horrific,” Lauchle said.
Now, he’s speechless.
“I don’t know what to say. God bless them, you know, both, all three of them,” Lauchle said.
Kevin Mandru, another driver, also reacted to the tragedy.
“It’s shocking to hear,” Mandru said.
Rick Cunningham reflected on the loss of the Marine who stopped to help.
“Absolutely horrible. It’s actually kind of sad about the Marine,” Cunningham said. “You think they risk their lives and they come back just to get killed in a car wreck.”
There were four people in that Tesla. The Highway Patrol says a 19-year-old and a 20-year-old man, also from Naples, were taken to the hospital with serious injuries.
Troopers said they are still investigating the crash.
