1 dead, 1 injured in fiery wreck

One person died and another was badly burned when a pickup crashed and caught fire early Friday in Union County.

The identities of the two people involved in the single-vehicle crash had not been released by the Florida Highway Patrol, which is investigating the wreck.

Union County Sheriff’s Maj. Garry Seay said a man — the pickup’s driver — was killed in the crash while the female passenger survived but with critical injuries.

A Florida Fish and Wildlife officer who happened to be in the area pulled the woman from the burning vehicle, according to police.

Wildlife officer Brett Gill told authorities he heard the crash, then saw flames after the pickup caught fire.

The crash occurred at about 1 a.m. on County Road 238 inside the Lake Butler city limits, Seay said.

Initial reports about the crash said the pickup had been traveling east, when the driver lost control of the vehicle after failing to stop at a stop sign, Seay said.

The pickup then crashed into a concrete electrical pole, Seay said. The force of the impact ruptured the pickup’s fuel tank, setting the vehicle ablaze, Seay said.

The injured woman was flown to Shands at the University of Florida, Seay said.