An SUV crashed into a Lakeland home in the middle of the afternoon Monday, killing a 24-year-old Brazilian soccer player who was inside.
Police say the driver ran the stop sign at Longfellow Boulevard, struck two signposts, and crossed over North Crystal Lake Drive before careening into the two-bedroom bungalow. It happened at 4:12 p.m. across from one of the main entrances to Southeastern University.
An investigation is underway to determine why Dalton Collins, 27, of Lakeland – who was driving south on Longfellow Boulevard – lost control of the white 2016 Dodge Durango and crashed through the wall of the 1957 home, hitting the victim.
In a news release, police said that although first responders from Polk County Fire Rescue and the Lakeland Fire Department tried to provide life-saving measures, the 24-year-old victim died at the scene.
LPD did not identify the man but, in a post on Facebook, the Lakeland United Football Club said he was Yuri dos Santos Vasconcelos from Brazil.
The Lakeland United Football Club, founded in 2020, is an international bridge program for student-athletes. Vasconcelos is listed on the team’s 2021-2022 roster, which also states that he was a student at Faulkner University in Alabama.
“Yuri embodied and symbolized everything we strive to be as a club,” the club’s post said. “He was a leader in spirit and had an optimism that can only be perceived in those who have already evolved past beyond this life.”
The team set up a GoFundMe page on Tuesday to help pay for repatriation and funeral costs.
The driver and passenger of the Durango and two additional people inside the home did not require any medical treatment.
Police said the intersection was shut down for approximately five hours while the scene was processed for the ongoing investigation.
It is unclear why Collins went through the stop sign. No charges have been filed yet, pending investigation. Anyone with additional information regarding the crash should contact Officer Travis Payne at Travis.Payne@Lakelandgov.net.
Facebook user Crystal Cabello posted an image of the scene 15 minutes after the crash.
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This is a dangerous section on Longfellow Blvd and N.Crystal Lake Dr. I perform home visits throughout Lakeland and have a stop three houses from Longfellow Blvd. Drivers coming from Longfellow Blvd are constantly running this stop sign!!
So tragic that it takes an incident such as this to bring awareness!!
My sincere condolences to the families.