An 80-year-old driver likely experienced a medical episode behind the wheel on Tuesday, leading to a serious crash on the north end of Longboat Key, police said.
James W. Gardner, of Longboat Key, was taken to Blake Memorial Hospital by ambulance with cuts and contusions after the 2:40 p.m. incident in the 7100 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive, just south of the Longboat Pass Bridge. Gardner was trapped inside the BMW 330X sports-utility vehicle for a period of time after it left the road and came to rest at an angle in the woods off the road.
No one else was hurt, police said…