A man died on a Florida interstate highway Sunday after he fell through a hole that opened in the cabin of a recreational vehicle when it hit a guardrail, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
Keith Hertik, 52, of Bay Shore, New York, was a passenger in a 1994 Ford RV driven by Joseph Rapoza, 31, of Bradenton, Florida, the Tampa Bay Times reported.
Troopers said that Rapoza lost control of the vehicle on I-75 in Sumter County, located northeast of Tampa, and hit a guard rail on the left side of the road. The impact opened a hole behind the driver’s seat, the Times reported.
Hertik, who was sitting behind Rapoza, fell through the hole while the vehicle was still moving, troopers said. He was taken to a hospital and was pronounced dead at Ocala Regional Medical Center, the Times reported.
Rapoza was not injured and alcohol was not a factor in the crash, troopers said.
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