Frank J. Quinn, Pawlet, Vermont man, 77, killed trying to rescue turtle crossing Florida’s Interstate 95 near Sebastian, Indian River County.
A Vermont man was killed over the weekend while trying to save a turtle that had crossed onto a busy Florida interstate according to police.
The Florida Highway Patrol said the victim, 77-year-old man, Frank J. Quinn of Pawlet, Vermont, died after he tried to cross Interstate 95 on Sunday to retrieve the stranded turtle from the road.
According to the FHP, the crash happened just before 4:30 p.m. Sunday in the southbound lanes of I-95 just south of Micco, close to Sebastian Boulevard in Indian River County, WESH reported.
Not a positive outcome for the turtle
According to police, two vehicles were traveling south in the center lane of I-95 around 4:20 p.m. when they saw the man attempting to save the turtle.
The driver of the vehicle in front slowed to avoid hitting the Vermont man, only to be hit from behind by a pick up truck sending it veering off the road. The truck then hit Quinn, killing him.
The 77 year old victim died of his injuries at the scene, police said.
According to the Miami Herald, the victim’s next of kin were at the scene when he succumbed to his injuries.
Neither driver was hurt in the crash.
Police declined to press charges against either driver.
But there’s more.
The turtle did not survive, Jim Beauford, the chief of public affairs for the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, confirmed according to ABC News.
‘The turtle did not receive a favorable outcome in the crash,’ Lieutenant Jim Beauford said in an email.
The roadway was temporarily closed in the immediate aftermath of the crash before being reopened several hours later.
