Smithville couple killed in Florida crash

LAKE HELEN, Fla. – A couple from Smithville, Missouri, were killed when an out-of-control pickup truck went airborne and landed on their vehicle as they traveled on Interstate 4 in central Florida.

The Florida Highway Patrol says 66-year-old Phil Rutkowski died at the scene of the Thursday night crash and 69-year-old Judith Rutkowski died a short time later at Halifax Medical Center. They lived in Smithville, Missouri.

Witnesses told troopers that the truck was traveling west when the driver made an abrupt lane change. They say 44-year-old driver Timothy Engels lost control of the vehicle, which went into the median, struck a guardrail and went airborne. It landed on the SUV that Phil Rutkowski was driving east on I-4.

Engels and 29-year-old passenger Jason Regan were taken to the hospital with serious injuries. They weren’t wearing seatbelts.

This story was originally published March 13, 2015 at 7:38 AM with the headline "Smithville couple killed in Florida crash."