One seriously injured, six others transported to hospital after multi-vehicle crash on I-75
Staff report
ALACHUA, Fla. – Seven people were transported to the hospital, including a woman with serious injuries and an infant, following a multi-vehicle accident yesterday on I-75.
At about 3:25 p.m., a pickup truck driven by a 43-year-old Orlando man was traveling southbound in the center lane of I-75 near mile marker 396, and an SUV pulling a car hauler trailer, driven by a 27-year-old man from Kenner, LA, was also traveling southbound directly in front of the pickup truck.
A semi driven by a 37-year-old Miami man was parked (disabled) in the southbound outside emergency lane, and a 35-year-old Lake Butler man was making repairs on the semi.
When the driver of the pickup truck tried to pass the SUV in the outside lane, the left side of the pickup truck hit the right side of the car hauler trailer that was being pulled by the SUV. That caused the SUV to move toward the outside lane, where it hit the semi’s trailer (picture below); the pickup truck rear-ended the semi’s trailer. The impact caused the semi to move forward and hit the mechanic who was making repairs.
Crews from Alachua County Fire Rescue and High Springs Fire Rescue responded to the crash; a Heavy Rescue unit was required to free the occupants from the tangled vehicles, and four ambulances were required to transport seven people to area hospitals. [Editor’s note: Florida Highway Patrol’s release lists seven people with injuries, but Alachua County Fire Rescue states that eight people were transported to the hospital.]
The driver of the pickup truck and his 40-year-old male passenger from Orlando suffered minor injuries and were transported to the hospital. Both were wearing seatbelts.
The driver of the SUV and his 21-year-old and one-year-old female passengers from Kenner, LA, suffered minor injuries and were transported to the hospital. A 40-year-old female passenger in the SUV suffered serious injuries. All were wearing seatbelts or secured in a child restraint.
The driver of the semi and his 24-year-old female passenger from Miami were uninjured. They were not wearing seatbelts.
The mechanic suffered minor injuries and was transported to the hospital. He was not in a vehicle when he was struck.
The interstate has gotten so deadly since the speed limit increased. It is scary to drive out there!
So the pickup driver was trying to pass in the right-hand lane (the “outside” lane), bumped the trailer in front of him, and sent six other people to the hospital.
Passing on the right is legal on a highway like this, but it is exponentially more dangerous and likely to cause an accident. Just don’t do it.
I agree it is also dangerous to slo-roll in the middle and inside lanes that should be meant to pass in. That constantly leads to passing on the right. I don’t know how many times I’ve been behind a car in the inside lane and they’re traveling at 50 or 55 mph like they are driving Ms. Daisy. I hope everyone that was involved makes a safe recovery.
No, he was passing the SUV, which was in the middle lane, in the right lane. He hit the SUV, which caused him to overcorrect, and drive into the outside lane, hitting the semi.
SMH, Bear didn’t say anything about the current accident, he was speaking in general about safety on the Interstate. You need to read and comprehend before commenting.
There is a law that states that you must move over or slow down for stopped vehicles on the side of the road if they have their hazard lights on or if there is a person present outside the vehicle. No one should have been in the lane next to the disabled semi.
Hence the need for a new toll road to bypass Crazy 75 Freeway loons 🤡💩🥺
The condensed version: White truck screws up, big crash, lots of lawsuits to follow.
Dangle, the interstate has always been deadly, people just do not pay close enough attention to their driving habits. A good example is the turn signal, most people do not even use them anymore. It is a good thing that I am not a TRAFFIC COP, people would hate me.