ORLANDO, Fla. — One person died and four others were hospitalized in today's seven-vehicle crash on southbound lanes of Florida’s Turnpike in Winter Garden, the Florida Highway Patrol said.
- 1 killed, 4 hurt in 7-vehicle crash on southbound Florida's Turnpike
- Southbound lanes were closed for several hours in the evening
- Troopers: Vehicle on roadside was struck, causing chain-reaction crash
All southbound lanes of the toll road were blocked after Exit 272, near State Road 50. Emergency vehicles were blocking the northbound left shoulder, assisting with the crash cleanup.
A preliminary investigation determined that a vehicle was disabled on the right shoulder when another vehicle left the roadway, struck the car on the shoulder and created a chain-reaction crash. It was a complex crash, and troopers hours later were still trying to determine the exact order of events.
FHP Lt. Kim Montes said southbound traffic was diverted to State Road 50. She expected the southbound lanes to remain shut down "throughout the evening."
"It’s going to be mess for a while," Montes said.
The crash happened at 4:33 p.m. The southbound lanes were closed for hours for the investigation and cleanup.