Update: FHP says the massive 5 vehicle accident involving a semi that shut down I-4 in both directions for hours was triggered by an Orlando man who rear-ended an SUV.
FHP PIO Sgt. Kim Montes says 30-year-old Johnathan Hicks was driving eastbound on I-4 around 9:25 on Friday morning in his 2005 Chevy when he rear-ended 28-year-old Ashley Raymond, forcing the Jacksonville woman's 2003 Toyota SUV into the rear of another car. Hicks' car then went into the right lane and Eddie McCormick, who was driving a semi, swerved to try and avoid a collision. McCormick, who is from Orlando, hit the back of a 2007 Nissan pickup truck being driven by 73-year-old Daniel Cole, then the semi crashed through the concrete barriers in the center median and eventually flipped over on the shoulder, blocking the westbound lanes.
Hicks, Raymond, and McCormick only suffered minor injuries. Hicks and McCormick were brought to Halifax Health Medical Center along with Cole, who is in critical condition. According to troopers, the 73-year-old man from Deltona was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the accident.
The crash is under investigation and charges are pending against Hicks.
The incident near mile marker 131 shut down all lanes of I-4 in both directions for hours. I-4 eastbound was finally reopened around 1:54 PM, 4 and a half hours after the accident. I-4 westbound wasn't cleared until 4:45 PM., nearly 8 hours after the incident. While the interstate was shut down, traffic was backed up for miles.
Update: All lanes of I-4 in both directions have reopened as of 4:45 PM. Thats according to FHP.
Update: All eastbound lanes on I-4 reopened at approximately 1:54 PM.
Original Story: A five-vehicle crash on I-4 near Daytona Beach stalled traffic in both directions today. FHP PIO Sgt. Kim Montes says it happened just before 9:30 AM when one vehicle rear-ended another going east at MM 131. Three other vehicles, including a tractor-trailer, trying to avoid the accident crashed. The truck ended up going through the center guardrail and into the westbound lanes.
Three people have been transported from the scene. One is critical.
(Photos Courtesy The Volusia County Professional Firefighters Association)
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