Multiple car crashes involving over a dozen vehicles in Florida shut down 20 miles of Interstate 95 early Thursday morning.
Five separate crashes occurred near Edgewater at around 1:30 a.m., four of which occurred on the north-bound side of the highway, News 6 reported. One individual was killed as a result, according to the outlet. (RELATED: 100-Car Pile Up Shuts Down Highway Amid Winter Storm)
On I-95 south, there was one six-vehicle accident that involved four semi-trucks, a van and an SUV, News 6 reported. Authorities said two people, the drivers of the SUV and one of the semi-trucks, were killed.
Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) said some people involved in the crashes were transported to Halifax Heath, according to News 6. One victim, a minor, was flown to Orlando’s Arnold Palmer Hospital but is currently in stable condition, the outlet reported.
DEADLY CRASH: This is FDOT video of that 15 car pile-up involving several semi-trucks that killed 3 people and has I-95 in Volusia County, shutdown this morning.
This is near Edgewater in #Florida. We’re following this #Breaking #crash all morning on @ActionNewsJax pic.twitter.com/raW8bY5DWr
— Chandler Morgan (@Chandler_TV) March 3, 2022
Super fog, a weather phenomenon caused by dense fog and smoke, is thought to have been a factor in the crashes, reported News 6. This type of weather event lowers visibility to less than 10 feet, tweeted the National Weather Service.
A controlled burn in the area overnight may have intensified the fog, reported WESH. FHP claimed it was not notified of the burn ahead of time and, as a result, did not have troopers in the area, according to the outlet.
“When I arrived on scene about two hours later there was still zero visibility,” said FHP Lt. Kim Montes in a video published by WESH. “These drivers could not see.”
“We have our flare team out here that is investigating all of these crashes together,” Montes said. “The chain reactions. Which one started first. We have good witnesses. We will be looking to see if any of the semi-trucks had dash cam.”
The Florida Department of Transportation District 5 tweeted that the section of highway will likely remain closed into Thursday evening.