Port Charlotte man killed after van hits truck parked on interstate

A Port Charlotte man was killed and three Fort Myers men injured Wednesday afternoon when a vehicle struck a truck parked along I-75.

The Florida Highway Patrol reported that John Chipley Algar, 49, was behind the wheel of a Nissan van taking the on-ramp to I-75 at Fruitville Road in Sarasota County.

A truck had pulled over to the side, partially onto the grassy median, so that supplies in the bed of the truck could be readjusted. The truck’s driver, Marquis Lamar Jones, 27, of Fort Myers, and one of its passengers, Reonte J. Scott, 22, of Fort Myers, had gotten out of the truck to adjust its load.

Troopers said Algar was attempting to merge onto I-75 when his van struck the rear of the truck, causing it to spin and striking Scott and Jones in the process.

Algar was taken to Doctors Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Jones and a passenger in the truck suffered minor injuries. Scott was seriously injured, and all three were taken to Sarasota Memorial Hospital.

The FHP report states that alcohol was not a factor and any charges are pending the outcome of a traffic homicide investigation.

The crash occurred at about 3:25 p.m.