3 dead from crash in Okeechobee
Okeechobee, FL- The Florida Highway Patrol says 3 people died in a crash in Okeechobee county Friday afternoon.
Officials say a black Dodge Challenger was traveling southbound on U.S. Highway 441 behind a tractor trailer truck. At the same time, a white Kia Sportage SUV was traveling northbound. The FHP says the Dodge Challenger attempted to pass the tractor trailer and crashed into the front of the Kia Sportage.
That collision sent the Kia into the southbound lane, where the front of the Kia was struck by the front of the tractor trailer.
The driver of the Kia, 66-year-old Valerie J. Edlemon, and one passenger, 49-year-old Tonya L. Macon, both of Okeechobee, were pronounced dead at the scene. Another passenger, 14-year-old Jalen Edlemon of Okeechobee, was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. The driver of the Dodge Challenger, 31-year-old Michael Murph of Orlando, suffered minor injuries. His passenger, 19-year-old Vernisha Murph, suffered serious injuries and was hospitalized. The crash remains under investigation