POLK COUNTY, Fla. — A box truck burst into flames during a crash early Wednesday morning in Polk County, killing its driver.
The Florida Highway Patrol said the BayCare box truck and a tractor-trailer were both traveling east on SR-570 around 2:12 a.m.
According to FHP, the tractor-trailer, which was ahead of the box truck, began to slow down, while the box truck did not. It then rear-ended the tractor-trailer, causing the box truck to burst into flames.
Both vehicles came to a final rest in the outside lane.
The box truck's driver died at the scene of the crash and has not been identified yet. The tractor-trailer's driver, a 51-year-old man, was uninjured.
After a spike in local cases, veterinarian Dr. Melanie Bizzarro is warning pet owners about a bacterial infection called leptospirosis.