WEST BROWARD, FLA. (WSVN) - A holiday weekend drive ended in tragedy for a man and a woman who, officials said, died after their SUV veered off Alligator Alley in West Broward and plunged into a canal, Sunday.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the rollover accident took place near Mile Marker 32.
Officials said the SUV sank to the bottom of the canal.
The victims were later identified as 42-year-old Keith Livingston and 35-year-old Michelle Livingston, a married couple from Tampa.
Investigators said the driver of a forest green Ford Expedition lost control of the vehicle. “The driver … left the roadway and overturned into the canal,” said FHP Sgt. Mark G. Wysocky.
7News cameras captured Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue divers scouring the water, but officials said it was too late for the vehicle’s occupants. “At this point, we have two people who are deceased on scene, one male and one female,” said Wysocky.
FHP shut down all westbound lanes of the roadway while they investigated and cleared the scene.
A crane was brought in to remove the Expedition from the canal. The delicate mission took hours, backing up traffic along Interstate 75 for miles.
Authorities said they exhausted every effort to save the victims’ lives. “There were passers-by that stopped and jumped into the water,” said Wysocky, “but they did say the water is about 40 feet deep, so they were unable to go down any farther.”
I-75 was reopened Sunday night.
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