Corvette left ripped apart in brutal street-racing crash, Florida cops say. One charged
A street race between two sports cars ended when one hit another vehicle, sending the sports car off the road and ripping it to pieces, the Florida Highway Patrol said.
The driver of a Ford Mustang, 23, and the driver of a Chevrolet Corvette, 38, were in Marion County on Nov. 18 and driving at “a high rate of speed, making multiple lane changes, and driving recklessly for the purpose of racing,” according to a Nov. 29 news release from the Florida Highway Patrol.
As they raced, the Corvette driver hit a Toyota Prius that was also on the road, sending the Prius into the road’s median, troopers said.
The Corvette was knocked off the road, striking a utility pole before hitting a tree and coming to a stop outside a storage facility, according to the release.
The force of the crash ripped the car apart, leaving only the front seats intact, photos from state troopers show.
The driver of the Mustang hid his car in a nearby parking lot and got out of the vehicle to check on the other driver who had been ejected from the Corvette, according to the release.
The 38-year-old Ocala man was seriously injured, state patrol said, but the Mustang driver fled from the crash scene instead of calling for help.
The Florida Highway Patrol released photos of the Mustang driver in hopes of him being identified, according to the release.
More than a week after the crash, state patrol identified him as a 23-year-old man from Ocala.
The Mustang driver was taken into custody on Nov. 27 and charged with reckless driving which resulted in serious bodily injury to another, failure to remain on the scene of a crash which resulted in the serious injury of another, and racing on highways, according to the release.
Charges have not been announced against the driver of the Corvette.
Ocala is about 80 miles northwest of Orlando.
This story was originally published November 29, 2023 at 8:30 AM with the headline "Corvette left ripped apart in brutal street-racing crash, Florida cops say. One charged."
