Two killed in two crashes two hours apart on I-75

Two young drivers were killed 7 miles and two hours apart overnight on a stretch of Interstate 75 in Sarasota and Manatee counties, the Florida Highway Patrol said early Friday.

The 18-year-old Parrish woman and 22-year-old Bradenton man were not identified by name.

The FHP said the crashes both  took place in the northbound lanes, the first around 10:08 p.m. between Bee Ridge and Fruitville roads and the second around 12:23 a.m. near State Road 70.

In the 10:08 p.m. crash, near the Palmer Road overpass, an 18-year-old woman from Parrish tried to change lanes in her Ford Escape SUV, lost control and hit a concrete barrier. The woman was thrown from the vehicle as it overturned. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

In the 12:23 a.m. crash near SR 70, a 2025 Hyundai Kona small SUV hit the rear of a 1996 Honda Civic, left the highway and hit a tree. The Hyundai driver, a 22-year-old Bradenton man, was killed. The driver and the passenger in the Honda received minor injuries.

Both highway incidents remain under investigation.

According to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, 27 have died on Manatee County roadways in 2026, 19 in Sarasota County.