INDIAN RIVER COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — An 87-year-old man from Vermont died Sunday after he was hit by a truck while trying to save a turtle on a Florida highway, the Florida Highway Patrol said.
Troopers said two drivers were traveling south in the center lane of Interstate 95 just north of County Road 512 in Sebastian around 4:20 p.m. when an 87-year-old man was crossing the southbound lanes to retrieve a turtle from the road.
A Miami woman in a black Mazda CX-9 slowed down to avoid hitting the man, but a Port St. Lucie man in a Dodge 3500 pickup truck failed to slow his truck down in time and hit the back of the Miami woman’s car, FHP said.
After the crash, the Mazda ran off the road, entered a grass shoulder and hit a fence.
The truck driver continued southbound and hit the 87-year-old pedestrian, troopers said.
The pedestrian died at the scene. No one else was hurt.
No other details were immediately available.
