FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Troopers have identified a Port Charlotte woman as the victim in Thursday morning's fatal crash between a car and a tractor trailer.
An investigation is still ongoing in the crash, which caused large traffic tie-ups during the morning rush hour.
It happened just after 7:30 a.m. near mile marker 135, just south of the Colonial Boulevard exit.
According to Florida Highway Patrol, 29-year-old Brooke Fenton was driving her car southbound in the outside lane when another car changed lanes into her lane. Fenton swerved right to avoid the sideswipe but drove onto the shoulder, where her car slammed into the rear of a stopped tractor trailer truck.
Witnesses say a man was driving recklessly on I-75 south, cutting people off in a hurry, including Fenton, who swerved to the emergency lane and slammed into a parked semi.
"That part is part of the investigation to see if that driver's actions actually played a role with the vehicle losing control," Lt. Greg Bueno with FHP said.
Fenton died at the scene.
The driver of the other car, 49-year-old Ronald Bray of Port Charlotte, was uninjured in the crash. It has not been determined yet if any charges will be filed.
Lt. Bueno says he can't release much information but any and all physical evidence has been collected, witnesses have been interviewed and it's under review for this active investigation. He tells Four In Your Corner the data for overall traffic fatalities in the state are alarming.
"Right now, unfortunately, the numbers are high," he said.
According to the most recent FHP report the biggest spike in traffic fatalities in southwest Florida is in Lee County.
Charlotte County:
2015: 21 fatalities 2016: 22 fatalities
Collier County:
2015: 38 fatalities 2016: 35 fatalities
Lee County:
2015: 83 fatalities 2016: 90 fatalities
