A gator died after being hit by a car in the middle of the night in Lithia, Fla. (FOX 13 / File)
LITHIA, Fla. – In the middle of the night, an alligator was in the path of a Hillsborough County driver. The person behind the wheel evidently crashed into the Florida reptile, flipping their vehicle due to the impact, and passing away from their injuries, deputies say.
The crash occurred on Country Road 672 in Lithia just after 1 a.m. Thursday. Deputies say the driver, later identified as 59-year-old John Hopkins, was heading east, approaching the County Road 39 intersection.
They said that’s where the front of the vehicle struck the 11-foot alligator that was in the roadway. Investigators said the vehicle veered off the roadway and overturned into a ditch.
Hopkins passed away at the scene.
Car being towed after crashing into gator in Lithia, Fla. (FOX 13/File)
Hillsborough deputies said the gator also died.
Arm found in alligator’s mouth in Florida
Courtesy Martin County Sheriff’s Office
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The vehicle has since been towed away.