PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — Two people were killed Thursday morning after a three-vehicle crash on Florida's Turnpike in Palm Beach Gardens.
Authorities said the wreck occurred just before 6 a.m. near the PGA Boulevard exit.
A tractor-trailer driven by a 34-year-old man from Bushnell, Florida, was heading northbound in the right lane, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
A pickup truck driven by 65-year-old Royal Palm Beach man was also heading north in the same lane.
FHP said the semi driver lost control, causing the front of the tractor-trailer to hit the rear of the Royal Palm Beach driver's truck.
The semi then swerved to the left and struck the concrete median wall, causing a front loader tractor it was hauling to detach and go onto the southbound lanes.
A third vehicle, a pickup truck driven by a 34-year-old Port St. Lucie man, was traveling southbound on the Turnpike in the right lane.
FHP said the Port St. Lucie man was unable to stop in time to avoid hitting the front loader tractor that was blocking the southbound lanes.
The Port St. Lucie man and a 27-year-old passenger in his truck died at the scene from their injuries in the wreck. A third passenger in the pickup truck, a 50-year-old Port St. Lucie man, was also seriously hurt.
The semi driver and the Royal Palm Beach man suffered minor injuries in the crash.
The case is still pending investigation, according to FHP.
All lanes of Florida's Turnpike were closed for about six hours.
Northbound lanes reopened around noon, and southbound lanes were back open about an hour later.
