A head-on crash on Cemetery Road near Buckingham has left one man dead and five other people hospitalized, and for the neighbors who live along the two-lane road, the tragedy confirmed a fear many say they have carried for years. The road, they argue, has grown dangerous, and Wednesday evening it turned deadly.
The Florida Highway Patrol says a westbound Nissan Kicks crossed the center line near the intersection with Dana Road and collided head-on with an eastbound Chevrolet Suburban. The 27-year-old man driving the Nissan died at the scene. His passengers and everyone in the Suburban were taken to the hospital with injuries. Why the Nissan crossed into oncoming traffic is still unknown, and that question sits at the center of the investigation.
What happened
The crash happened around 6:40 p.m. Wednesday on Cemetery Road, the corridor that links Buckingham and Lehigh Acres in Lee County. According to FHP, the Nissan was heading west and the Suburban east when the smaller vehicle drifted across the line into the Suburban’s path. The two met head-on, a type of collision that concentrates enormous force on everyone inside.
FHP has not said what caused the Nissan to leave its lane and has not released the identities of those involved. Troopers are still reviewing evidence from the scene, and the agency has asked for patience as the investigation continues. Nothing released so far points to a specific cause, and it would be premature to assume one.
Why neighbors say this road was an accident waiting to happen
Here is the context the crash reports leave out. People who live on Cemetery Road describe it as a speedway. It is a narrow, two-lane route with steep drainage ditches on both sides and little room for error, yet drivers routinely use it as a shortcut to reach State Road 80. Residents say they regularly watch cars pass illegally at high speed, leaving oncoming traffic to choose between a collision and the ditch…