SOUTH BAY, Fla. — A 54-year-old Stuart man died Friday evening after losing control of a flatbed tow truck and crashing into two palm trees along U.S. Highway 27 in South Bay, according to the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office (PBSO).
The crash happened around 7:03 p.m. in the 600 block of U.S. Highway 27 North within the city limits of South Bay.
Investigators said the driver, identified as Terrence Martin of Stuart, was traveling southbound in a 2016 Hino flatbed tow truck when he entered a right-hand curve and lost control of the vehicle.
According to PBSO, the tow truck began rotating clockwise before leaving the roadway and striking two large palm trees. The impact occurred directly on the driver's side of the truck.
The collision caused the tow truck to spin violently, and the flatbed deck separated from the vehicle. Investigators said the metal deck traveled approximately 170 feet through a residential yard before entering the property of Moss Towing, where it struck a parked trailer loaded with steel.
The tow truck came to rest off the roadway facing southeast.
Palm Beach County Fire Rescue pronounced Martin dead at the scene at 7:12 p.m.
The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office Traffic Division is investigating the cause of the crash. No other injuries were reported.
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