St. Pete Man Injured in 3-Vehicle Crash on U.S 19

A 36-year-old St. Pete man was among those injured in a deadly three-vehicle crash that shut down the northbound lanes of U.S. 19 in Clearwater for more than two hours late Sunday afternoon.

Florida Highway Patrol investigators say Jezreel Lamont Sanders, 20, of Tarpon Springs was driving a 2003 Honda Accord south at a high rate of speed on U.S. 19 when he lost control of the car at around 4:51 p.m. It happened just north of Hammock Pine Boulevard in Clearwater.

Sanders' car was in the outside lane and rotated counter-clockwise; it then crossed over the grassy median and into the path of a 2007 Ford Van driven by Norman Ertel of St. Petersburg.

Ertel's van hit the side of Sanders' car, causing Sanders' car to overturn and vault onto the top of a third vehicle, a 1996 Mazda Miata, driven by Diane Ryan, 49, of Brandon. The Miata was headed north. 

Sanders was ejected from his car and died at the scene of the crash. Ertel, Ryan and her passenger, Timothy Ryan, 50, were hospitalized with minor injuries.

Investigators say Sanders was not wearing a seatbelt. The other people involved in the accident were wearing seatbelts.

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