Florida Highway Patrol has identified a 71-year-old who died following a crash on Fruitville Road near the I-75 involving eight vehicles. Troopers say around 3:15pm on August 5, 33-year-old Gregory Werner Jr. of Nokomis was driving a semi traveling east on Fruitville in the left lane, approaching a red light at Coburn Road, when he failed to stop, causing a chain reaction crash involving seven other vehicles.
Werner suffered serious injuries and the driver of the vehicle he initially struck, 71-year-old Barbara Laidlaw of Sarasota driving a Kia Sorento, suffered critical injuries. She died two days later.