Florida Tow Operator Struck and Killed on Florida Turnpike

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A Florida tow operator was struck and killed Friday night on the Florida Turnpike near Clermont in Lake County.

Florida Highway Patrol troopers say the 34-year-old operator from Orlando was outside of his tow truck assisting a disabled motorist at approximately 10 p.m. when a pickup truck travelling northbound left the roadway and struck him and the tow truck.

The crash caused the pickup to overturn, ejecting the driver and a child passenger, both of Ocala, Fla. The driver, 51, was killed. The child was taken to Arnold Palmer Hospital in Orlando in critical condition.

Troopers say the tow truck’s lights were activated and it is unclear why the pickup driver left the roadway.

The crash remains under investigation.