It was a colossal crash on a North Central Florida highway early this morning, claiming the lives of two men.
According to Florida Highway Patrol, around three thirty this morning a dump truck and a UPS tractor-trailer collided on US 441 and 95th Street in Ocala.
Neither passenger of the dump truck where wearing seat belts and were ejected from the vehicle. According to Marion County Fire Rescue, the two adult men, whose names have yet been released, were pronounced dead on scene.
According to FHP officials, the hauler was driving in the right lane on their way to Jacksonville to deliver a load of limestone rocks.
"He was a hard working guy, you know," one victim's brother told TV20. "He'd been hauling rocks for I don't know how long."
According to reports, the dump truck was driving over a hill
when a UPS tractor trailer approached it from behind, didn't see them and swerved to left. That's when, FHP Sr. Trooper, Scott Howard, said the trailer clipped the back of the dump truck, causing it to overturn onto the shoulder.
Officials did rule out speed and alcohol as contributors to the accident. The lights of the dump truck are being tested to determine if they were on before the accident.
These deaths are the third and fourth vehicle related fatalities in Marion County since the New Year.