Drunk Lakeland man lying in middle of road hit, killed by semi-truck: PCSO

LAKELAND, Fla. - A 34-year-old Lakeland man was lying face down in the middle of the road when he was hit and killed by a Publix semi-truck early on Monday morning, according to deputies.

The Polk County Sheriff's Office says the crash happened on New Tampa Highway just west of Pine Chase Avenue in Lakeland around 12:30 a.m.

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A Publix employee driving a green Freightliner semi-truck saw the man lying in the middle of the eastbound lane of New Tampa Highway and tried to avoid hitting him but was unsuccessful, according to officials.

The truck driver had just ended his shift and was returning the truck to the Publix warehouse, according to the sheriff's office.

According to the Lakeland man's family, he had been at a bar drinking just west of where the crash happened. PCSO says he drove his motorcycle to the bar but told people that he was going to walk home because he was too drunk to drive.

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