A Canadian man died in the hospital Wednesday night following a car accident on Interstate 75 that afternoon. Doctors from Shands at UF pronounced Edward T. Hodgins, 78, dead at about 10:30 p.m. Wednesday, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
At about 3:30 p.m., Hodgins and his wife, Sylvia Hodgins, 78, both of Stratford, Ontario, were driving south on I-75 during a rainstorm. Sylvia Hodgins was driving her 2002 Lincoln LS when it hydroplaned and she lost control, veering into the roadway’s west shoulder about half a mile north of the Northwest 39th Avenue exit.
The car flipped and crashed into a tree, landing on its roof and trapping the couple inside. Both of them were wearing their seatbelts. When FHP troopers and Alachua County Fire Rescue Services officials arrived at the scene, firefighters removed the couple from the car, and paramedics later took them to Shands at UF.
Later that night at the hospital, Edward Hodgins died from the injuries. Thursday, Sylvia Hodgins remained in stable condition, said FHP spokeswoman Sgt. Tracy Hisler-Pace.
Contact Chris Alcantara at calcantara@alligator.org.
