1. Home
  2. Florida
  3. Tampa-St. Petersburg, FL

Christian Bautista, 23, Jim Alan Bass, Jr., 23, Joshua Bass, 24, and Casey Baynard, 41, killed in fiery 2-car crash on U.S. 98 in Polk County, Florida

Modified Date: 
Thu, 12/21/2017 - 8:23am
Accident Date: 
Thursday, December 24, 2015

Four killed in fiery Fort Meade crash

Four people were killed late Wednesday in a fiery two-vehicle crash in Fort Meade. According to the Polk County Sheriff's Office, the crash happened at 11:15 p.m. on U.S. Hwy 98 West, just west of Adams Road. Officials said it appears Bautista, who was alone in the SUV, was not wearing his seatbelt. U.S. 98 was closed in both directions for several hours after the crash. Traffic unit investigators say it appears a 1999 Toyota 4Runner, driven by 23-year-old Christian Bautista of Frostproof, veered from the westbound lane into eastbound traffic.

Four die in overnight Polk crash

Around 11:15 p.m. on December 23, a driver on US Hwy 98 West, west of Adams Road and found a car engulfed in flames. Polk deputies are investigating a serious crash involving two vehicles that left four people dead. After the flames that consumed the Pacifica were extinguished, deputies located three deceased people inside - a driver and two passengers. The cars collided nearly head-on, resulting in the Pacifica bursting into flames, and the Four Runner rolling and ejecting Bautista. It is unknown at this time what caused the crash.

Four killed in fiery Fort Meade crash

Four people were killed late Wednesday in a fiery two-vehicle crash in Fort Meade. Officials said it appears Bautista, who was alone in the SUV, was not wearing his seatbelt. According to the Polk County Sheriff's Office, the crash happened at 11:15 p.m. on U.S. Hwy 98 West, just west of Adams Road. The 4Runner collided nearly head-on with a 2005 Chrysler Pacifica, resulting in the Pacifica bursting into flames and the 4Runner rolling and ejecting Bautista. U.S. 98 was closed in both directions for several hours after the crash.
After an injury car accident, take these steps to help the recovery process

When someone has been injured in a car crash, it's hard to know what to do to help. Injured people need appropriate medial treatment, but they also need to have their civil and legal rights protected.

After a serious crash, several steps need to be taken, including dealing with the insurance companies, tracking and documenting lost income from missed work, coordinating medical bill payments, and handling an insurance claim.

Go here for information on the best way to handle these issues following an injury car accident.

Type: Car Accident
Topics: 
Fire
People Involved: 
Joshua Bass
Christian Bautista
Casey Baynard
Jim Alan Bass, Jr.
Roadway: 
U.S. 98
City: 
Fort Meade, FL
County: 
Polk County, FL
Area: 
Tampa-St. Petersburg, FL

Add new comment

More information about text formats
To prevent automated s-p-a-m submissions leave this field empty.
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
9 + 2 =
Solve this simple math problem and enter the result. E.g. for 1+3, enter 4.