Charles Mason, 56, and Clovis Polston, 66, killed in head-on crash on the Pinellas Bayway in Pinellas County, Florida

Two Bay area men died following a head-on collision that closed the Pinellas Bayway in both directions for several hours Saturday night. The incident occurred at 9:42 p.m. just east of Granada St. in St. Pete Beach. According to a Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office report a 2004 Chevrolet Tahoe driven by Charles Mason was traveling west when he crossed the center line in a curve just past a toll booth. His vehicle struck a 1992 Ford F-250 pick-up truck driven by Clovis Polston, who was traveling east, head-on. Mason, a 56-year-old St. Petersburg resident, and Polston, a 66-year-old Seminole man, were pronounced dead at the scene. A third vehicle, a 2008 Honda driven by Carroll Elmore, was hit from behind by Polston’s truck following the collision. Elmore, a 45-year-old St. Petersburg resident, and a passenger in his vehicle were not injured. Two passengers in Mason’s vehicle were not hurt.