Florida Highway Patrol reported that an auto accident involving four vehicles on U.S. 301 in Manatee County has seriously injured two.
The report states that the driver of a Dodge Ram pickup truck traveling in the north-bound lanes of 301 crashed into the back of a line of cars waiting for traffic.
The force of the impact caused a chain reaction as stopped vehicles where slammed into each other.
FHP troopers said the driver of the pickup truck, Trevor Mann a twenty four year old from Sarasota was driving up the inside left lane and for reasons unknown did not stop or slow down enough to avoid a violent crash with the cars waiting for traffic.
The pickup truck smashed into a Pontiac Vibe. Both the driver, seventy four year old Jack Hayward of Venice, and his passenger, sixty nine year old Linda Maynard also of Venice, were gravely injured.
The force of the crash shoved the Pontiac Vibe into the car in front of it with enough force to damage two more cars in front also waiting for traffic.
Hayward was taken to Blake Medical Center with Serious injuries and his passenger, Maynard was also taken to Blake Medical Center listed in critical condition.
Additionally, Kathi Patton, a fifty year old from Ellenton suffered minor injuries after her car was rear-ended by Hayward’s Pontiac and was taken to Manatee Memorial Hospital with minor injuries. The fourth vehicle hit by the rear end crash was driven by twenty nine year old Rosalinda Ramirez, from Bradenton who also suffered minor injuries from the accident.
Mann, the driver of the Dodge pickup that caused the crash only suffered minor injuries and after being taken to Manatee Memorial Hospital was cited by FHP for careless driving.