The Haines City, Florida community is mourning the tragic loss of a 24 year old woman who died in a violent two vehicle crash early Friday morning. According to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, deputies and Polk County Fire Rescue personnel were dispatched at approximately 12:29 a.m. on April 17, 2026, to the scene along U.S. Highway 27 near B. Moore Road. The crash involved a 2020 Hyundai Sonata driven by 24 year old Jovanna Saily Reyes of Bowling Green and a 2019 Volvo semi truck with a trailer driven by a 24 year old woman from Tampa.

Investigators reported that following the initial collision, the Hyundai left the roadway, crossed the median, traveled off the west side of the highway, and continued through a chain link fence before striking the exterior wall of the First Apostolic Pentecostal Church, located at 600 B. Moore Road. First responders arrived to find Reyes deceased at the scene.

The driver of the semi truck was not injured and remained at the scene, cooperating fully with investigators from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office Traffic Homicide Unit. Preliminary findings indicate that speed may have been a contributing factor in the crash, and no civil or criminal charges are anticipated at this time as the investigation remains ongoing.

The Crash A Legal U Turn Turns Deadly

The crash occurred at approximately 12:29 a.m. on Friday, April 17, on U.S. Highway 27 near B. Moore Road in Haines City, Florida. Haines City is a city in Polk County, located between Orlando and Tampa. U.S. 27 is a major north south highway that runs through the area, carrying significant traffic even in the early morning hours. At that time, the road would have been dark, with limited lighting in the rural stretches.

According to preliminary findings based on witness statements and physical evidence, the semi truck had been traveling southbound on U.S. 27 before executing a legal U turn to proceed northbound. The driver told investigators she observed an oncoming northbound vehicle at a considerable distance prior to initiating the turn. That vehicle was the Hyundai Sonata driven by Jovanna Reyes. The semi driver believed she had enough time to complete the turn safely.

Detectives determined that Reyes’ vehicle struck the side of the trailer, traveled partially underneath it, and continued uncontrolled across the roadway and into the church property. The phrase “traveled partially underneath it” is significant. When a passenger car collides with the side of a semi trailer, the car can slide under the trailer, shearing off the roof and crushing the occupant compartment. That type of collision is often fatal, as the vehicle’s safety structures are bypassed entirely.

After striking the trailer, the Hyundai left the roadway, crossed the median, traveled off the west side of the highway, and continued through a chain link fence before striking the exterior wall of the First Apostolic Pentecostal Church. The chain link fence would have slowed the vehicle slightly, but not enough to stop it. The impact with the church wall finally brought the car to rest. The damage to the car was catastrophic.

The Victims Jovanna Saily Reyes, 24, and the Semi Driver

Jovanna Saily Reyes was 24 years old. She was a resident of Bowling Green, Florida, a small town in Hardee County, approximately 30 miles south of Haines City. At 24, she was a young woman with her whole life ahead of her. She was someone’s daughter, someone’s sister, someone’s friend. First responders arrived to find her deceased at the scene. There was no hospital transport. The injuries were unsurvivable. She died on the highway, in the darkness, alone.

The driver of the semi truck, a 24 year old woman from Tampa, was not injured and remained at the scene. She is cooperating fully with investigators from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office Traffic Homicide Unit. The semi driver is likely traumatized. She was making a legal U turn. She looked and saw an oncoming vehicle at a considerable distance. She believed she had time to complete the turn. But the other vehicle was traveling faster than she realized, and the collision could not be avoided. She will carry the memory of this crash forever. The original article does not name the semi driver. That is standard practice when no charges have been filed and the investigation is ongoing.

Speed as a Contributing Factor

Investigators noted there were no visible pre impact skid marks at the scene. The absence of skid marks is significant. Skid marks are left when a driver brakes before a collision. If Reyes had braked, there would have been skid marks. There were none. That suggests that Reyes did not see the semi truck turning, or saw it too late to react, or was traveling so fast that braking would not have prevented the collision. She may have been distracted, or she may have been speeding to such an extent that she could not stop in time.

At this stage, investigators believe speed may have been a contributing factor in the crash. The phrase “may have been” is carefully worded. The investigation is not complete. But the evidence suggests that Reyes was traveling above the posted speed limit, or at a speed that made it impossible for the semi driver to judge her distance accurately.

The semi driver stated that she observed an oncoming northbound vehicle at a considerable distance prior to initiating the turn. If Reyes was speeding, the distance would have been closing faster than the semi driver anticipated. The semi driver looked, saw a car in the distance, and thought she had time to complete the turn. But the car was moving faster than she expected, and the gap closed more quickly than she realized. The result was a collision that Reyes could not survive.

Officials stated that no civil or criminal charges are anticipated at this time. That means that the semi driver is not expected to be charged with any crime. The crash appears to have been caused by the motorist’s speed, not by any illegal action on the part of the semi driver. The U turn was legal. The semi driver had the right to make the turn. She took reasonable precautions by looking for oncoming traffic. The speed of the oncoming vehicle made the collision unavoidable.

The Response and Investigation

The Polk County Sheriff’s Office Traffic Homicide Unit is investigating the crash. The unit specializes in fatal collisions and will conduct a thorough investigation, including analyzing physical evidence, interviewing witnesses, and reviewing any available surveillance footage from nearby businesses or traffic cameras.

Both northbound and southbound lanes of U.S. 27 were closed for approximately five hours while authorities conducted a detailed investigation and cleared the scene. Road closures are necessary for crash reconstruction. Investigators must measure distances, photograph evidence, and document the position of the vehicles before anything is moved. Five hours is a significant closure, indicating the complexity of the scene.

The roadway has since reopened. For drivers who were forced to detour around the crash, the closure was an inconvenience. For Jovanna Reyes’ family, the closure was irrelevant. Their loved one was dead, and no reopening of lanes could change that.

The Church First Apostolic Pentecostal Church

The Hyundai Sonata struck the exterior wall of the First Apostolic Pentecostal Church at 600 B. Moore Road. The church building was damaged, but the original article does not specify the extent of the damage. The church is a place of worship, a sanctuary, a community gathering spot. Now it is also a crime scene. The congregation will have to repair the wall, but the memory of the crash will linger. Every time they gather for services, they will see the repaired wall and remember the young woman who died there.

The church was empty at 12:29 a.m., so no one inside was injured. That is a small mercy. A crash that could have killed multiple people instead claimed only one life.

The Communities Haines City and Bowling Green in Mourning

The communities of Haines City and Bowling Green are mourning the loss of Jovanna Reyes. Haines City is a city of approximately 30,000 residents. Bowling Green is a small town of fewer than 3,000 residents. The death of a 24 year old woman in a crash is a tragedy that touches both communities.

Jovanna’s family is devastated. They have lost a daughter, a sister, a friend. They are planning a funeral instead of celebrating a birthday. They are looking at photographs instead of making new memories. The pain is immeasurable.

The semi driver is also a victim in a sense. She was doing her job, driving a semi truck in the early morning hours. She made a legal turn. She looked and saw an oncoming vehicle. She thought she had time. She was wrong. She will live with the memory of this crash for the rest of her life. She may struggle with guilt, even though she did nothing wrong. She will need support and counseling.

Holding Onto Memories

As the investigation continues and the communities mourn, the family and friends of Jovanna Saily Reyes are left to do the hardest work of all. They must hold onto their memories of her while also confronting the reality of her death. They must grieve her loss while also waiting for answers. They must find a way to go on without her.

Jovanna was 24. She had her whole life ahead of her. She had dreams that will never be fulfilled, love that will never be given, moments that will never be experienced. That is the unspeakable tragedy of a young death. It is not just the loss of what was. It is the loss of what could have been.

But what was still matters. The 24 years that Jovanna lived, the people she loved, the joy she brought, the memories she created these things are not erased by her death. They remain. They are the inheritance of her family, her friends, and everyone who knew her. And as long as those memories are held and shared and cherished, Jovanna Saily Reyes will never truly be gone.

Conclusion A Life Lost on Highway 27

The death of Jovanna Saily Reyes, 24, in a crash on U.S. Highway 27 near B. Moore Road in Haines City is a tragedy that has left a family shattered and a community in mourning. A young woman is dead. A semi driver is uninjured but traumatized. Speed may have been a factor. No charges are anticipated. An investigation is ongoing. And a church wall bears the scars of the impact.

The Polk County Sheriff’s Office Traffic Homicide Unit will continue its investigation. The answers will come, though they will not bring Jovanna back. Only time, and love, and memory can do that work.

As Haines City and Bowling Green mourn, the communities stand together in grief, offering prayers and support to Jovanna’s family. Rest in peace, Jovanna Saily Reyes. You were loved. You will be missed. And your memory will live on in the hearts of everyone who knew you. Gone too soon, forever remembered.