Lakeland man dies in head-on collision after crossing into oncoming lane: LPD

POLK COUNTY, Fla. – A Lakeland man was killed in a traffic accident Saturday when his vehicle collided head-on with a pickup truck while descending into the oncoming lane.

Officers with the Lakeland Police Department (LPD) responded to the crash at approximately 8:49 p.m. in the 4100 block of State Road 33.

Maurice Knight, 50, of Lakeland, was driving a silver Toyota sedan south on SR 33. For unknown reasons, the sedan struck the westbound curb, crossed into the median and then crossed into the northbound lanes of State Road 33, where it collided head-on with a black Toyota pickup truck, police officials said.

Knight was pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver of the pickup truck, Julio Delgado-Castro, 36, of Illinois, and his three passengers, including two children ages 12 and 5, were taken to Lakeland Regional Health with non-life-threatening injuries.

The route was partially closed for about four hours.

The cause of the crash is still being investigated.

Anyone with information about the accident is asked to contact LPD Traffic Accident Investigator Camilo Almeida at camilo.almeida@lakelandgov.net.