SARASOTA, FL – February, 2026 – A 34-year-old man from Sarasota was killed Tuesday following a one-car crash on Bee Ridge Road, the Florida Highway Patrol reported.
FHP troopers said the wreck happened at about 11:32 a.m. in the 2920 block of Bee Ridge Road, roughly 1,000 feet east of Swift Road.
According to investigators, the man was driving a 2018 Toyota RAV4 eastbound when the SUV veered off the road and hit an oak tree in the grassy front yard near 2920 Bee Ridge Road. The vehicle then slammed into a second oak tree, and the impact split the SUV in two, Florida Highway Patrol Senior Trooper Ken Watson said.
Watson said he believes the driver was traveling at roughly three times the posted speed limit when the crash occurred.
He added that the SUV left clearly visible tire marks through the dirt before striking the first tree and then continuing into the second, where it broke apart.
The driver was taken to Sarasota Memorial Hospital and was later pronounced dead, troopers said.
Eastbound Bee Ridge Road between Tuttle Avenue and Lockwood Ridge Road was shut down while emergency crews worked at the scene.
The Florida Highway Patrol Traffic Homicide Unit remains investigating the incident.
Credits and attribution
Original reporting: “Crash shuts down eastbound lanes of Bee Ridge Road in Sarasota,” MySuncoast (WWSB), published February 24, 2026. Copyright © 2026 WWSB. All rights reserved. (mysuncoast.com)
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