Driver in fatal head-on crash near Lake Wales was driving at over 100 mph, sheriff says

The driver who caused a head-on collision Saturday night that killed three people had been driving recklessly at more than 100 mph shortly before the crash, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said.

Judd offered more detail Monday on the collision that occurred on State Road 60, just east of County Road 630. Hannah Wieser, 22, of Winter Haven was driving a 2015 Ford Flex westbound on the two-lane stretch and attempted to pass a Kia van, the sheriff said.

Entering the eastbound lane, her vehicle collided directly with a Ford F-150 with three occupants. Luis Rodriguez, 54, and Jomar Maldonado, 52, died in the crash, while their 3-year-old grandson, Jaydyn, survived, Judd said.

A witness to the crash told deputies that Wieser had passed him about a mile before, traveling at more than 100 mph. The driver had been forced to hit his brakes, allowing Wieser’s truck room to re-enter the right lane just before it would have collided with a semi-truck, Judd said.

Rodriguez and Maldonado were returning to the East Coast after spending the day at Busch Gardens in Tampa with their grandson, Judd said. Wieser was returning to Winter Haven from a beach on the Atlantic coast, he said.

Family members told deputies that they knew of no emergencies or any reasons Wieser would have felt the need to drive at such speeds, Judd said. The woman left behind a 3-year-old child, he added.

Toxicology results on Wieser will not be available for some time. Judd said that investigators found a crushed beer can that was impaled in her leg.

The three who died all wore seatbelts, and the child was properly secured, Judd said. The boy was flown to a hospital in Orlando and then released while being monitored for a possible concussion, he said.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Polk sheriff: Driver was going 100 mph before fatal Lake Wales crash