Two killed in head-on crash on Overseas Highway in the Florida Keys

Two people from North Carolina died in a head-on car crash in the Florida Keys Tuesday night, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

The crash happened around 9:40 p.m. at mile marker 76 on U.S. 1 on Lower Matecumbe Key.

A 30-year-old North Carolina man was driving a 2020 Toyota Corolla north on the two-lane highway when he crossed into the southbound lane in the path of a 2013 Ford F-250 pickup truck driven by a 62-year-old man from Tennessee, according to an FHP report. The FHP did not name any of the people involved in the crash.

The pickup truck driver unsuccessfully tried to avoid hitting the Corolla by driving onto the shoulder of the road, but the left front of the Toyota hit the front of the Ford.

Both the Toyota driver and his passenger, a 23-year-old woman, died on the highway, according to the highway patrol.

The pickup driver was taken to Mariners Hospital in Tavernier with minor injuries. His two passengers, a 58-year-old woman from Tennessee, and a 62-year-old Tennessee woman, were seriously injured.

A Monroe County helicopter ambulance flew the women to Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami and Jackson South Medical Center in Kendall, respectively.

All the passengers and drivers were wearing seatbelts, the FHP said. The agency is investigating whether alcohol was involved in the crash.

The crash and subsequent investigation caused heavy traffic delays on the Keys’ only highway. The tie-up lasted until the road was fully reopened around 3:40 a.m. Wednesday.