Traffic is finally flowing again on Alligator Alley this morning after a deadly chain-reaction crash involving seven vehicles—including three semi-trucks—shut down a major stretch of Interstate 75 overnight.
The Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) confirmed that all northbound and southbound lanes of I-75 in Collier County had reopened as of 9:30 a.m. Friday, ending an hours-long closure that began shortly after midnight.
The primary crash occurred at 12:11 a.m. near mile marker 96 on the southbound side of the interstate. According to FHP investigators, a Miami truck driver stopped his semi-truck in the travel lane because visibility had dropped dangerously low due to smoke in the area.
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That decision triggered a devastating chain reaction. A second semi-truck slammed into the back of the stopped rig, setting off a pileup that eventually entangled a third semi-truck, a GMC pickup, a Toyota sedan, a Chevrolet pickup, and an Audi.
Troopers confirmed one fatality in the wreckage: a 52-year-old man from Madeira Beach driving the Chevrolet pickup. Two passengers in his truck, a 38-year-old woman and a 15-year-old boy, were rushed to the hospital with serious injuries. The driver of the Audi, a 49-year-old man from Coral Springs, was also hospitalized with injuries.
Miraculously, the drivers of the three semi-trucks and two other passenger vehicles involved escaped without injury.
The chaos wasn’t limited to the southbound lanes. Troopers reported three separate crashes on the northbound side near mile marker 95 shortly after midnight, likely due to the same visibility issues. Those incidents involved multiple semi-trucks and passenger vehicles but resulted in no injuries.
The investigation into the specific dynamics and sequence of the main crash is ongoing. Motorists traveling through the area today should expect residual delays as traffic volume returns to normal.
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