FHP Trooper, 2 others killed nearby.
 

Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Chelsea Richard, a tow truck driver, and a bystander were all killed while standing on the shoulder of I-75 near Ocala in Marion County on Saturday, May 4th, 2014.

They were there in connection with the investigation of a traffic crash when a pick up truck drove onto the shoulder of the road and struck them. The identity of the pick up truck driver has not yet been disclosed and there is no information on pending charges.

A reminder: When emergency vehicles are stopped on the side of the road, you should move over from the adjacent lane for safety of the emergency vehicle personnel.

Very sorry to hear that. Any developments on this story would be appreciated. Drunk driver? Distracted driver?

My wife and I were caught in that traffic coming back from Ocala Saturday afternoon. I figured something bad had happened because of the number of police cars that keep going down the breakdown lane. Very sad to see all of it once the traffic was allowed to move.

When traffic started moving again they allowed one lane to move for one minute then stopped it and allowed the next lane to move for one minute. We happened to get stopped as the first car in the center lane with an officer standing in front of us directing the traffic. In the space of those two minutes the officer must have yelled at maybe eight drivers for talking on cell phones while driving past him. Unbelievable!

I wish the automotive companies would design a "implanted cell phone on the dashboards" so you can speak w/o taking your hands off the steering wheel.

Done - my satellite radio syncs with my IPhone. This technology has been around for several years. Wireless headphones too.

Even hands free talking on phone takes your attention off of what you're doing.... If a call is that important, find a safe place and pull over and then attend to your call....! Telephones have taken over our lives completely and many times lead to the death of many of us...! Think about it!!

Nobody knows yet what the cause was for this tragic accident, another sad, sad story.

True, however so does talking to passengers, listening to radio. singing along with the tunes, listening and interacting to talk radio, daydreaming, and a zillion other things people do. Very few people, if anyone, concentrate 100% on the task of driving, especially after 30 years or more of doing it. Talking on a cel phone, or particularly, texting takes far more attention away from the task at hand, and requires a level of attention not equitable to having both hands on the wheel while listening, and/or talking to the radio.

doesn't help...your mind is on the phone while your hands are on the wheel.

The Pedestrian has also passed. He was an employee of The Villages Sales Dept.

As mentioned in this article, and also by multiple sources, while the those killed were standing on the shoulder as a result of an accident, another "multi vehicle accident" occurred in the S/B lanes. The truck that struck the pedestrians was one of the vehicles involved in that accident. A spokes person for Florida HP stated it's going to take some time to sort out all the facts.

FHP officer killed in I-75 crash in Ocala

A Florida Highway Patrolman on a motorcycle was hit by an eye doctor from The Villages, as the patrolman was escorting the body of the slain officer to a funeral home. The accident happened in Lady Lake. The motorcyclist is in The Villages hospital. The eye doctor has been charged in the accident.

Read all about it at The Villages on-line news.