CALLAWAY — Investigators are looking into the death of a Panama City man they found idling in his car Friday morning with no injuries on a private dirt road, according to Florida Highway Patrol reports.
Paul Douglas Hood, 35, was driving east on a privately owned, dirt power-line road north of North Comet Avenue in Callaway sometime before 6 a.m. Friday when he drove into a mud puddle. Hood, in a 1996 Ford Bronco, was found by Bay County Sheriff’s Office deputies at 6:20 a.m. after receiving a call of a vehicle idling that appeared to be stuck on the road, FHP reported.
Hood was seated in the driver’s seat and was deceased when authorities arrived. He didn’t appear to have suffered any injuries.
However, first responders on scene noticed a strong exhaust odor inside the vehicle. Investigators noted Hood’s exhaust system had been modified and did not offer sufficient clearance once the vehicle became stuck in the mud puddle.
Hood was taken to the medical examiner’s office, where an autopsy will be performed. No charges have been filed, and FHP’s investigation is pending.