On Tuesday, May 21, 2013, a tragic Tampa truck accident occurred that claimed the life of a Pasco County man. According to officials, the deadly crash took place on southbound Interstate 75 around 10:42 a.m. and involved a car and dump truck.
The man from Pasco County, 61-year-old John Conrad Porter, of Wesley Chapel, was driving his 2012 Hyundai on southbound I-75. A dump truck then pulled out in front of his vehicle, according to troopers. The Hyundai hit the back of the dump truck, and upon impact Mr. Porter died in the crash. He was traveling with his wife and his 3-year-old granddaughter at the time of the collision.
According to police, 58-year-old Mary Ann Porter, John’s wife, suffered critical injuries and was airlifted to St. Joseph’s Hospital in Tampa. Granddaughter Natalia Gracie Muncie also sustained injuries and was airlifted with her grandmother to the same hospital for medical treatment. The extent of her injuries has not been disclosed, but it has been confirmed that she was in a child safety seat at the time of the crash.
Troopers said that 49-year-old Cristobal L. Cepero, of Tampa, was driving a 1994 Mack truck. The dump truck, operated by Cristobal Trucking, was hauling a load of dirt in a construction zone when the collision took place. It appeared that the truck driver drove from the paved shoulder and entered I-75, south of State Road 56—pulling out in front of the Porter’s vehicle.
Troopers indicated that Mr. Cepero was not injured in the crash, and that charges are pending.
Mallard Perez extends our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Mr. Porter, and we wish Mrs. Porter and her granddaughter full recoveries.