PALM BEACH COUNTY, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) (Copyright © 2026 MetroDesk Media, LLC) — A Lakeland man is dead following a rear-end collision involving a passenger car and a semi-truck in Belle Glade. The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office tells BocaNewsNow.com that the crash occurred at 6:43 p.m. Thursday in the southbound lanes of U. S. Highway 27 South. Julius Brown Jr., who was driving a 2020 Hyundai Elantra, was pronounced dead at the scene by Palm Beach County Fire Rescue.
According to traffic homicide investigators, Brown was traveling southbound in the outside lane of U. S. 27 behind a 2006 Volvo semi-truck driven by Osmany Alvarez-Pino of Miami. For an unknown reason, Brown failed to identify the truck traveling ahead in his lane, and the front of his Elantra struck the rear of the semi. Following the impact, the Hyundai rotated counter-clockwise and came to an uncontrolled rest on the left shoulder, facing south. The semi-truck driver safely brought his rig to a controlled rest on the right shoulder, just south of the crash scene.
While Alvarez-Pino was wearing a seatbelt and sustained no injuries, deputies noted that Brown was not using any safety equipment at the time of the crash.
A passenger in Brown’s vehicle, identified as Carrine Cole of North Miami, was wearing a seatbelt. She suffered serious injuries in the wreck and was transported directly from the scene to Delray Medical Center for treatment.
