A crash in Brevard County, Florida on Sunday morning led to the death of one driver and severe injuries for another. The crash involved two semi-trucks which were traveling north on I-95 near the 223-mile marker. The accident occurred at 4:15 am, approximately.
Florida’s Highway Patrol troopers had to block off all lanes leading to the crash site.
Troopers report that the two semi-trucks were heading in the same direction when one semi-truck rear-ended the opposing semi-truck, causing the accident. The following semi-truck suffered severe damage after it caught fire. The driver was not able to get out of the vehicle before it was engulfed in flames and was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident.
The blaze left little evidence of who the deceased is. Troopers are working to identify the man.
The leading truck driver survived the accident. Troopers confirm that the man is a 43-year-old from Mississippi named Lawrence Lee. The man was admitted to Parrish Medical Center for minor injuries. Troopers are still investigating the accident.
Troopers closed all northbound lanes in I-95 following the crash, which led to major traffic jams. Drivers were redirected to exit 220 and had to bypass the section near the 223-mile marker to allow for rescue efforts to continue.
Crews from the Brevard County Fire Rescue were called to the scene of the accident and spent the majority of the morning cleaning up the site. Personnel were seen at the scene of the accident at 10:15 am still cleaning up the area near the crash approximately six hours after the crash occurred.
Reports from Titusville police indicate that the section of I-95 was still closed off as late as 11:30 am.
Drivers were being redirected to State Road 406 with drivers asked to only proceed with caution.
“The trucking company hauling the load is already going to have a team of lawyers in place to defend their drivers. This means that if a victim doesn’t have their own legal representation, they are likely going to end up in a bad position. The trucking company lawyers are going to do everything they can to prevent from having to pay out a settlement to the victim” states Robert Hamparyan.
The victim, following behind Lee, reportedly failed to slow down as he approached Lee’s truck from the back. The vehicle’s front-end caught on fire leading to the unidentified driver’s death. Police continue investigating the crash and have yet been able to identify the decreased.