A tragic incident unfolded Sunday evening on Florida's Turnpike in Osceola County, resulting in five fatalities and seven injuries following a single-vehicle crash. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the accident involved a 2004 E-350 van, which the driver lost control of due to a possible tire malfunction, causing the vehicle to overturn multiple times and come to rest in a ditch.
All northbound lanes were closed after the crash that occurred near mile marker 211 in Kenansville. The highway was not reopened until this morning. Traffic was diverted to State Road 60 at exit 193 during the closure, as ClickOrlando confirmed. The Florida Highway Patrol further detailed that the crash occurred around 7:35 p.m., resulting in five deaths, including a 29-year-old man, a 54-year-old man, and a 73-year-old woman from Fort Pierce, while two female passengers have not yet been identified.
The driver, a 66-year-old Fort Pierce man, was seriously injured and taken to Osceola Regional Medical Center. The surviving passengers, whose ages range between 46 and 75, sustained critical or serious injuries, four of whom were airlifted to Osceola Regional Medical Center. The other two were transported to Holmes Regional Medical Center.
While the investigation into the cause of the crash is still ongoing, emergency teams were seen moving traffic to the shoulder as a temporary measure to manage the flow, as stated by WFTV. Preliminary information from the Florida Highway Patrol indicated that the van crashed around 7:38 pm, with officials responding by redirecting vehicles and coordinating airlift operations for the injured occupants.
