A 61-year-old man was killed early Monday when his car struck a utility pole in Port Richey.
The Port Richey man, whose identity has not been released, was driving a 2005 Ford Focus west on Ridge Road around 5:10 a.m. As he passed Lemon Road, he lost control of the car and veered onto the north shoulder, the Florida Highway Patrol said.
The car traveled across a ditch and crashed into a wooden utility pole at the entrance to the Department of Veterans Affairs, 7347 Ridge Road.
The driver died at the scene, troopers said. Authorities closed the westbound lanes of Ridge Road while they investigated.