A 38-year-old Navarre man suffered critical injuries following a two-vehicle crash that occurred Wednesday evening on Highway 98 east of Gulf National Seashore on Okaloosa Island.

• The crash happened at approximately 5:32 p.m. when the driver of a Ford Expedition was traveling westbound in the outside lane and approaching stopped traffic, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

According to the report, an out-of-county ambulance was traveling westbound in the inside lane with emergency lights and siren activated, passing the stopped traffic in the outside lane.

FHP says the Ford driver abruptly slowed and swerved right to avoid the stopped traffic, but the vehicle’s right-side tires left the roadway and traveled into the sand. When the driver attempted to return to the roadway, the SUV overturned.

• While overturning, the front of the Ford collided with a Volkswagen sedan that had come to a stop in the outside lane due to the traffic backup. The 32-year-old Valparaiso man driving the Volkswagen was not injured in the collision.

The Ford driver was ejected from the vehicle during the rollover and transported to a local hospital in critical condition. Next of kin have been notified.

All lanes of Highway 98 were reopened as of 9:47pm.