SARASOTA COUNTY, Fla. — Two people were killed after a hit-and-run crash Saturday night on Interstate 75 at mile marker 196 southbound in Sarasota, according to an update from the Florida Highway Patrol.
Donald Leif Johnsen, 59, fled the scene after crashing the right side of his 2006 Hyundai with the left side of a 2015 Ford pickup truck carrying four people, FHP says.
The collision caused the pickup truck to rotate, travel onto a grass shoulder and overturn. The two rear-seat passengers were ejected, one was pronounced dead at the scene and the other one was taken to a nearby hospital where he later died, authorities say.
The driver and the other passenger in the pickup truck were taken to the hospital with serious injuries.
Johnsen was located on Laurel Road a short time after the crash, FHP says. He was arrested for leaving the scene of a crash involving death( two counts) and DUI Manslaughter (two counts).
The crash caused heavy traffic in the area. Honore Avenue from Laurel Road to Castle Drive was shut down while law enforcement was on the scene leaving only one southbound lane open.
The crash still remains under investigation.