A late-night drive on northbound U.S. 27 in Broward County turned deadly early Wednesday when a wrong-way head-on crash left two people dead and shut down the highway for hours, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
The collision was reported just after midnight near mile marker 37 and involved a Range Rover and a Nissan Altima, troopers said. The Range Rover caught fire in the crash, and its driver was trapped until first responders could pull them from the vehicle.
CBS Miami reports that both drivers were pronounced dead at the scene. All northbound lanes were shut down while troopers investigated and cleared the wreckage, and the roadway did not fully reopen until just before 7 a.m., according to the station.
Crash Scene And Emergency Response
Fire rescue crews moved in quickly to extinguish the burning SUV while state troopers worked the scene, documenting evidence and directing traffic away from the closure, authorities said. The agency tracks serious crashes and road shutdowns on its incident reporting system; the Florida Highway Patrol is leading the investigation into the deadly wreck.
Why Wrong-Way Crashes Turn So Violent
Wrong-way collisions on divided highways are relatively rare, but when they happen, the results are often catastrophic. Research from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety and academic studies has found that these crashes tend to occur at night, frequently involve driver impairment, and usually result in head-on impacts that carry a far higher fatality rate than most other types of crashes.
What Troopers Are Looking At Next
Investigators have not released the names of the victims or any suspected cause of the crash. FHP has asked anyone with information to contact the agency. According to CBS Miami, no additional details were immediately made public, and state investigators are working to pinpoint whether factors such as impairment, speed, or roadway conditions played a role.
