Gainesville man seriously injured in Marion County fatal accident
BY JENNIFER CABRERA
OCALA, Fla. – According to a release from Florida Highway Patrol, three people were killed in a four-vehicle accident today at the 337 mile marker on I-75. A 56-year-old Gainesville man was seriously injured in the accident.
At 1:11 p.m. today, a Subaru driven by the Gainesville man and a tractor/trailer were traveling southbound on the interstate, and one of the vehicles hit the other. After the initial contact, the two vehicles went through the center median guard rail into the northbound lanes. A series of collisions occurred with a Dodge Ram 3500 pickup truck pulling a trailer, driven by a man from South Carolina, and a Chevrolet SUV, driven by a 40-year-old man from Pearland, TX, both of which were traveling northbound.
The tractor/trailer and SUV caught fire, and the drivers of the tractor/trailer, pickup truck, and SUV were all pronounced deceased at the scene. A passenger in the pickup truck, a 19-year-old woman from South Carolina, was transported to Ocala Regional Hospital. The Gainesville man was transported to Leesburg Regional Hospital. Full identification information for the drivers of the tractor/trailer and pickup truck is pending.
Any witnesses to the crash are asked to contact the Florida Highway Patrol by calling *FHP (*347).
I75 from Micanopy to Wildwood is a death trap. I travel from Gainesville to Tampa weekly and it’s horrible. Not enough tickets given and not enough lanes for the amount of cars. Plus horrible drivers driving slow in left lanes. It’s a recipe for disaster
I agree 100%
All of I 75 in Fl. is a death trap!!!!
Jennifer you might want to find out who the passengers were of the SUV that burned there is video that shows two what looked to be teens were removed as passengers of the vehicle. The video is very emotional. I do not have words to describe other than it was a situation that was traumatizing to watch and I cannot imagine what it was to those who had to watch it in real time.
So sad. Do you have the link to the dash cam video? I lost it
The State needs to build barriers between the north and soutbound lanes. Yes, it is expensive but there are many instances where vehicles are crossing the median. Perhaps from Lake City to the Turnpike?
This is why I-75 should NOT be widened again, ever. We need rural toll roads for trucks to use. Plus, toll roads are greener, they have limited access and don’t enable sprawl like freeways do.
Do NOT vote for Dem candidates who say “no rural toll roads” or I-75 will continue being widened like I-95 is.
They should expand the lanes like they did near Tampa. Don’t need to destroy rural Fl for trailer trucks. Where do you think the local food comes from? Toll roads destroys generational farms and takes homes from people. We already have a housing crisis we don’t need to make it worse. It may not effect you but it destroys rural communities and leads to more development. We don’t want be another Gainesville
Drive defensively. Eyes open and 100% focus. Don’t pace other cars. Lead, follow, or get the heck out of the way.