Photos: ACFR releases additional information about accident that closed I-75 for hours on Independence Day
Staff report
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Alachua County Fire Rescue (ACFR) has released additional photos of yesterday’s accident at mile marker 389 on southbound I-75; the accident closed the interstate for hours while the victim was extricated and HAZMAT crews cleaned up the semi truck’s cargo.
According to a release from the Florida Highway Patrol, at about 10:50 a.m., a 26-year-old man from Doraville, Georgia, was driving southbound near the 390 mile marker of I-75 when a tire malfunction caused him to veer into the path of a semi truck driven by a 39-year-old man from Hyattsville, Maryland.
The driver of the semi took evasive action to avoid hitting the other car, ran off the road, and hit several trees. It took nearly two hours for crews to extricate the driver of the semi, who suffered non-life-threatening injuries, with the “Jaws of Life.” Meanwhile, a UF Health Shandscair helicopter landed on the interstate, resulting in a complete closure for multiple hours.
The Georgia man was uninjured; both drivers were wearing seatbelts.
Units from ACFR and Gainesville Fire Rescue responded to find both vehicles in the tree line with heavy damage. Along with extricating the driver of the semi, crews had to deal with a HAZMAT situation due to the cargo in the trailer of the semi.
Time to do something about that death trap known as our interstate. Pretty soon, crashes will be as frequent as shootings in town!
I avoid the interstate hiways like the plague.
The lord could have called a bunch of sinners home to their reward. Amazing the truck driver was not hurt worse
how is the driver of the smaller vehicle?
Article says he was uninjured
It is incredible that the semi truck driver wasn’t injured worse or killed. God was protecting both drivers. I am so glad they are ok.
Why did the helicopter stay in the middle of the road if both drivers did not have life threatening injuries?
They should have instructed the Helicopter to leave, as soon as they determined that the accident victims were ok, instead they chose to BE all dramatic and close off the interstate for unnecessary hours, make a big show of everything, draw a lot of attention to themselves, MAYBE THEY DESERVE THAT??? , MY WIFE SAYS I DON’T KNOW CRAP!
smart wife
People need to slow the hell down, if you run the speed limit you’ll get run over as everyone is running 80 mph +
If your destination is SE Florida, I recommend going through Palatka or Ocala National Forest to I-95 which is not as busy and has less trucks than I-75. Takes an extra 1/2 hour to 45 minutes, but well worth it in my opinion.
I also agree that the helicoptor should have left as soon as the seriousness of the injuries were determined, though maybe it did. It seems that the 1st responders are often a bit too casual about blocking traffic while they do what they do beyond moving the injured. Even fender benders can block traffic for way too long it seems to me.
Wow! It’s truly a miracle that they were both uninjured! God was definitely looking out for both of them.
Wow. Based on these comments, there needs to be an education of what exactly goes on in a situation like this. Oh, wait, that would require an officer to check out of his patrol duties to spend an hour or two to explain the procedures and their purpose to people who don’t need to know because they are not
Involved.
Joe Q Citizen: what happened?? I need to get home so I can relax in my recliner and watch tv.
Police: Shark Attack.