One person is dead following a two-vehicle crash in North Gainesville on Wednesday evening.
At about 7:50 p.m., one driver lost control of their car and hit another car headed west on 1200 NW 39th Ave near the Greentree Park nearly head on, according to a Gainesville Police Department press release.
The westbound driver was trapped in their car following the crash and needed to be freed by Gainesville Fire Rescue, the press release read.
Multiple GPD officers responded to the scene, GPD spokesperson Graham Glover said. They were unable to perform life saving efforts because the person was stuck in his vehicle.
After the crash, the car driver who was hit was rushed to the hospital by Gainesville Fire Rescue, according to the release. They died from injuries later that night.
The other driver, whose car spun out of control, walked away with no serious injuries but was brought to a local hospital.
The incident is being investigated as a traffic homicide, Glover said, and the probe is ongoing as of Thursday evening.
He said no more information is available as of Thursday evening, including details about the drivers, including age and gender, or the cars involved.
Skyelar Kump, a 21-year-old UF public relations junior, drove past the intersection shortly after the crash and saw law enforcement, first responders and the roofless car.
"It was a terrifying scene,” Kump said. “When I saw the roofless car, I realized the severity."
Following a recent crash involving two of Kump’s friends and Calhoun Wolverton’s hospitalization, who is a 19-year-old UF accounting second-year student, seeing the scene of the collision left Kump unsettled.
“Something has to change. Not a week goes by without multiple headlines about horrifying and heartbreaking crashes and accidents,” Kump said. “We have got to make sure the roads here are actually safe for drivers, bikers and pedestrians.”
This is a developing story. Please stay tuned for updates.
Contact Emil Munksgaard Grosen at emgrosen@alligator.org. Follow him on Twitter @EmilMunkGrosen.
Emil Munksgaard Grosen is a news assistant for The Alligator and a sophomore who plans to double major in political science and public relations. Interested in civil rights and political communication, he dreams of becoming a lawyer and humanitarian.
