From Staff Reports and the Florida Highway Patrol
Troopers from the Florida Highway Patrol responded to a single-vehicle collision yesterday in Citrus County that resulted in the death of the driver.
According to the FHP report, at approximately 2:38 pm, a Kia Forte, driven by an 87-year-old Hernando man, was stopped at a stop sign located at 5340 West Grover Cleveland Boulevard.
The driver suffered a medical emergency, and his foot came off the brake. The vehicle traveled westbound across the highway, struck a posted sign, and stopped.
Shortly thereafter, while stopped against the sign, the accelerator was depressed, and the wheels spun. This caused the grass under the vehicle to catch fire, which rapidly spread to the vehicle itself.
Citrus County deputies and firefighters arrived and extricated the driver, who was taken to an area hospital, where he later died.
The FHP did not release the driver's name involved in the crash.
This is an update of breaking news and may be updated again if more details are known.
