Two Bartow men were killed Monday night when their Chevy work van failed to stop at a stop sign and pulled into the path of a semi-truck on State Road 60.
The accident happened shortly after 9:30 p.m. at West Lake Wales Road and State Road 60, about three miles west of Lake Wales.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office said that evidence and witness statements indicate the 2002 Chevy 2500 van was travelling north on West Lake Wales Road and failed to stop for a stop sign at SR 60. The van entered the highway into the path of a 2023 Freightliner Cascadia, which was traveling east.
When first responders arrived, they found the driver of the van, Robert Clem Mosley, 24, and passenger Joseph Jarvis Wade, 35, dead in the van, the Sheriff’s Office said. The driver of the Freightliner, Jeremie Albert Chorba, 42, of Port Richey, suffered no injuries and declined medical attention.
The area around the crash was closed to traffic for about 5.5 hours. The crash remains under investigation, but the Sheriff’s Office said no criminal or civil charges are expected.