A motorist from Cape Coral struck and killed a panther early Thursday morning on Alligator Alley.
At about 12:07 a.m., Jeffret Scott Morris, 45, was headed east on Interstate 75 in a semitrailer in the outside lane. Near mile marker 98, he encountered a Florida panther standing in the middle of the outside lane, according to a report from the Florida Highway Patrol.
Morris was unable to avoid a collision and hit the panther.
The animal died on scene, the report states. Morris was not injured.
The semitrailer sustained an estimated $4,000 in damage.