Two People Killed During T-Bone Crash in Polk County

By Orlando Personal Injury Attorney on May 11, 2023

Officers with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office have arrested a 24-year-old man for his alleged connection to a fatal collision that claimed the lives of two victims and severely injured six others this past Tuesday morning on State Road 60 near Mulberry.

According to auto accident details released to local media outlets, it was close to 5:40 a.m. on May 9, 2023, when an 18-year-old Bartow High School student was driving a red pickup truck in the eastbound direction of S.R. 60 near Pine Grove Road. At this same time, 24-year-old Elmer Bryan Giron-Canil was driving a silver Ford Expedition in the westbound direction with 6 passengers inside the vehicle.

For reasons that weren’t determined until later in the investigation, Giron-Canil proceeded to drive through the intersection to make a southbound turn onto Pine Grove Road and positioned his SUV in the direct path of the oncoming pickup truck. Neither driver was able to avoid a collision and the two vehicles were involved in a T-bone crash.

Immediately after the high-impact collision, four individuals from the Ford Expedition were ejected from the SUV onto the nearby roadway and woods next to the intersection. These victims were not wearing seat belts at the time of the crash and sustained severe, life-threatening injuries. The driver of the sport utility vehicle, 24-year-old Elmer Bryan Giron-Canil, suffered minor injuries.

The 18-year-old driver of the pickup truck was medevaced to Tampa General Hospital along with one other injured individual. The remaining car crash victims, whose injuries range from minor to major, were transported to Lakeland Regional Health for emergency medical treatment. One person has since passed away.

“The silver Expedition was picking up some of his team. They worked in construction and he just apparently failed to see this red pickup truck,” stated Sheriff Grady Judd with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. Further investigations revealed that Giron-Canil allegedly admitted to seeing the pickup truck’s headlights, but believed he had enough time to make it through the intersection. He was taken to the Polk County Jail.

The 18-year-old victim in this incident is a Bartow High School senior who is scheduled to graduate later this month. Mental health counselors are available for faculty and students at the school.

James O. Cunningham

Since 1977, personal injury lawyer James Cunningham has provided effective legal advocacy to people who are injured through the negligent actions of another person or entity throughout the Central Florida area. He fights to obtain recoveries for his clients’ physical and emotional pain and suffering and pursues his clients’ personal injury cases with a commitment to excellence and impeccable preparation.