VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — A chain-reaction crash that consumed 17 vehicles, including several semi-trucks, shut down I-95 in both directions in Volusia County early Thursday morning.
The Volusia County Sheriff's Office is calling this a ‘mass casualty incident.’ The crashes reportedly happened around 1:40 a.m. near the New Smyrna Beach exit.
FHP says there were five separate crashes: four on the northbound side involving 11 vehicles with one person killed. There was one crash on the southbound side that involved six vehicles: 4 tractor-trailers, an SUV and a van. One truck driver was killed. The driver of the SUV is also dead.
Several have been taken to the hospital, including a child, according to the Orlando Fox affiliate. At a 7 a.m. update, FHP said the child was airlifted to Arnold Palmer hospital and was in stable condition.
Video from traffic cameras shows flames from the crashes shooting into the air.
According to the National Weather Service, a fog advisory dropped visibility down to zero – which FHP confirmed was a contributing factor to the crash.
Investigators are combing through the remains of the wrecked vehicles hoping to find more evidence including dashboard camera footage.
