A Sunday evening drive turned deadly on West Pipkin Road after a vehicle traveling in the wrong direction caused a severe head-on collision, leaving one driver dead and another critically injured.
The crash happened just after 7:30 p.m. in the 4100 block of West Pipkin Road. According to the Lakeland Police Department, 81-year-old Mary Lockhart was driving a white Honda SUV eastbound but was traveling in the inside lane of the westbound side of the road.
At the same time, 20-year-old Ethan Duncan of Plant City was driving a grey Honda Accord westbound in the correct lane. The two vehicles collided head-on.
Emergency crews from the Lakeland Police Department, Polk County Fire Rescue, and Lakeland Fire Department responded immediately. Both drivers were transported to Lakeland Regional Health with severe trauma.
Lockhart later died from her injuries at the hospital. Duncan survived but remains in serious condition.
The Lakeland Police Department’s Traffic Homicide Unit shut down the roadway for about four hours to collect evidence and clear the wreckage. Investigators are working to determine why Lockhart entered the wrong lane.
Police are asking anyone who witnessed the crash or has information to contact Officer Travis Payne at [email protected].