A Marion County sheriff’s deputy and another man were seriously injured Wednesday night in a head-on crash near Silver Springs.
Deputy Ryan Owens, 21, of Ocala, was traveling north on County Road 314 at about 10:45 p.m. when his marked patrol vehicle was hit head-on by a 2006 Toyota Tundra driven by 48-year-old Jeffrey Lenway, of Silver Springs, a Florida Highway Patrol report states. Owens applied his brakes and swerved to the right in an effort to avoid the collision but was unable to do so.
After the collision just south of NE 40th Street, Owens’ department-issued 2015 Ford Explorer spun and came to rest on the grass shoulder of the roadway. Lenway’s pickup also spun and ended up obstructing both lanes of CR 314, the FHP report says.
Both Owens and Lenway were transported to Ocala Regional Medical Center with serious injuries. Neither driver was wearing a seat belt and it hasn’t been determined if alcohol was a factor in the crash, the FHP report says, adding that charges are pending.
