by Teresa Eubanks,  CLJNews.com

CALHOUN CO. – A Marianna truck driver was killed,  a Blountstown man was critically hurt and the driver of a third vehicle escaped injury in a collision this morning on SR 71 at SW Cane Fortner Road in Calhoun County. 

The fatality was a 61-year-old man who was towing a trailer loaded with logs while traveling northbound on SR 71 at 8:20 a.m.  The other two vehicles – an SUV and another tractor-trailer  – were southbound.

According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the first driver failed to negotiate a right curve, which caused his truck and trailer to overturn onto its left side and slide into the southbound lane.  The logs he was carrying were ejected onto the road.

The front of the tractor-trailer’s cab collided with a Kia SUV driven by a 48-year-old man from Blountstown.  The logs from the tractor-trailer slammed into the right side of the SUV, pushing it back in a northernly direction.

The third vehicle was a tractor trailer driven by a 57-year-old Lakeland man.  He steered to the right in an effort to avoid hitting the other vehicles but his truck was struck on the left side by numerous logs that spilled out from the first vehicle.  He was not injured and managed to keep his truck and trailer upright after pulling onto the edge of the road.

After impact, the first vehicle came to a stop in the road, facing northeast, while the SUV came to rest in the road, facing east.  The third vehicle stopped on the west shoulder, facing southwest.

Firefighters at scene extricated the driver from the first truck.  He was then taken to Calhoun Liberty Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The injured Blountstown man was taken by emergency helicopter to a nearby hospital.

The crash happened about 200 yards north of an area known as The Junction, not far from SR 71 and SR 73.

As of 1 p.m. CT, today traffic was still being diverted around CR 392 and 73 S., according to Calhoun County Sheriff Glenn Kimbrel.

FHP was assisted at the scene by the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office, Calhoun County EMS, Gulf County EMS, Scotts Ferry Fire Dept., Kinard Fire Dept. and Survival Flight 21.

The FHP report noted that all three drivers were wearing seatbelts.