LAKELAND, Fla. — A 57-year-old Lakeland man died on Friday, October 23, after his SUV left Longfellow Boulevard, struck a signpost and came to rest at the shoreline of Lake Bonny, according to the Lakeland Police Department. Officers responded at approximately 12:13 p.m. to the single-vehicle crash in the 1000 block of Longfellow Boulevard, police said.

Source: Daily Ridge (Lakeland Police Department release), Oct. 24, 2026

Police said the man was driving a grey GMC SUV southbound when, for reasons still under investigation, the vehicle left the roadway and impacted a traffic control signpost. It continued downhill off the roadway until it came to rest at or in the shoreline of Lake Bonny, the department said. Lakeland police patrol units, Polk County Fire Rescue, the Polk County Sheriff's Office and the Lakeland Fire Department all responded and provided life-saving measures, and the driver was transported to Lakeland Regional Health, where he was pronounced deceased, police said.

Source: Lakeland Gazette (Lakeland Police Department release), Oct. 24, 2026

While the cause of the crash is still under investigation, preliminary evidence indicates the driver may have been experiencing a medical episode, police said. Members of the department's Traffic Homicide Unit took over the investigation, and the roadway was shut down for approximately two hours while the scene was processed, according to the department.

Source: Lakeland Police Department via Daily Ridge, Oct. 24, 2026

Police identified the driver only as a 57-year-old Lakeland man and said his name is not being released pending notification of next of kin. The investigation remains open and active, and police asked anyone with additional information to contact the investigating officer, the department said.

Source: Lakeland Police Department via Lakeland Gazette, Oct. 24, 2026