Two women were killed and the husband of one of them was fatally injured in a two-car, nearly head-on crash Sunday morning north of Polk City.
Lily Cline, 36, of Polk City and Joann Schultz, 74, of The Villages died at the scene of the 9:45 a.m. crash, and William A. Schultz, 67, died in surgery at Lakeland Regional Medical Center at 4:45 p.m.
According to the Polk County Sheriff's Office, Cline was driving a red 2000 Chevy Cavalier south on Commonwealth Avenue just south of Lake County when she lost control of the car and left the road.
As Cline brought the car back onto the road, she crossed into the path of a silver 2011 Hyundai Tuscon that William Schultz was driving in the opposite direction. The two vehicles collided nearly head-on, investigators said.
William Schultz was airlifted to LRMC in critical condition. His wife was seated in the front passenger's seat and died instantly, investigators said.
Investigators said the Schultzes were each wearing seat belts and Cline had hers on but was wearing it improperly.
Commonwealth Avenue, or State Road 33, was closed for a lengthy time near the Polk and Lake counties border.
The road has been a particularly deadly this year. Less than two months ago, two drivers were killed and three other people were injured in a two-vehicle crash along the same stretch of road.
"Highway 33 north of Polk City is a very rural two-lane highway through the middle of the green swamp, and you would think that with this wide-open spaces people, could see each other," Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said. "But this is the third fatality we've worked in this curve in less than a year."