LAKE PLACID, FL — October 12, 2026 Authorities are investigating a serious two-vehicle collision that occurred Monday morning near the intersection of U.S. Highway 27 and Lake Francis Road in the Lake Placid area of Highlands County. Both drivers sustained significant injuries and required airlift transport to trauma facilities.
Karen Hollenbeck was driving a Jeep Wrangler Sahara when she began a left turn from U.S. 27 onto Lake Francis Road. An oncoming Ford Fusion struck the Jeep on the side. The force of the impact lifted the Jeep into the air, causing it to roll over and crush the roof before it came to rest upright.
Hollenbeck was first transported by ambulance to AdventHealth Lake Placid with serious injuries, then airlifted to a trauma center in Longwood, north of Orlando. The Ford Fusion driver extricated himself from his vehicle, was moved to a nearby field, and was later airlifted by a Tampa General Hospital Aeromed helicopter.
Investigators are examining witness accounts and other evidence to establish the sequence of events that led to the crash.
