One minute he was riding in an RV. The next, he dropped through a hole
In a split second, Keith Hertik went from being a passenger to falling through a hole in the floor of a recreational vehicle early Sunday, the Tampa Bay Times reported.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, Hertik, 52, was sitting behind driver Joseph Rapoza, 31 in the 1994 Ford RV going south on Interstate 75 northeast of Tampa, when Rapoza rammed into a guard rail on its left side at mile marker 325 in Wildwood.
As an FHP evidence photo shows, the impact ripped a gash in the trailer’s side and floor. The vehicle was still moving after the crash, and the passenger was sucked out through the gash. He ended up on the road.
The New York man was transported to Ocala Regional Hospital, where he later died, according to the FHP report.
Rapoza, of Bradenton, was not injured. Alcohol was not a factor in the crash, troopers added.
This story was originally published February 26, 2018 at 1:02 PM with the headline "One minute he was riding in an RV. The next, he dropped through a hole."