FHP releases preliminary report on 9-car I-75 crash

BY JENNIFER CABRERA

At about 5:00 p.m. on March 7, nine cars were involved in an accident at mile marker 399 that closed I-75 northbound for an extended period of time.

According to the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) initial report: a pickup driven by a 32-year-old High Springs man (seriously injured), with a 36-year-old male passenger from High Springs (no injuries) and a male passenger from Fort White (no injuries); a semi driven by a 36-year-old Dallas, TX, man (seriously injured); a sedan driven by a 35-year-old Fort White woman (seriously injured); a sedan driven by a 51-year-old Gainesville man (seriously injured); an SUV driven by a 36-year-old High Springs woman (no injuries) with a 45-year-old male passenger, 4-year-old male passenger, 6-year-old female passenger, and 7-year-old female passenger, all from High Springs (all uninjured); an SUV driven by a 53-year-old High Springs man (no injuries); a van driven by a 31-year-old Fort White man (no injuries); a sedan driven by a 32-year-old Williston woman (seriously injured); and an SUV driven by a 22-year-old Gainesville man (no injuries) were all traveling north on I-75.

The pickup, which was pulling a utility trailer, was on the U.S. 441 exit ramp when traffic ahead of it slowed abruptly. In an attempt to avoid striking the vehicle in front of him, the driver swerved to the left, at which point the semi struck the pickup, although that driver had also attempted to swerve to the left.

After the initial collision, a series of collisions took place in which vehicles either hit each other or the barrier wall. The semi caught on fire and also lost a large amount of diesel fuel.

It was previously reported that seven people were transported to the hospital, although FHP only lists five people as seriously injured.