A deadly overnight crash on southbound I-75 near mile marker 326 in the Wildwood area turned early Tuesday traffic into a nightmare, shutting down lanes and backing up the morning commute across Sumter County while troopers picked through the wreckage.
What officials say
According to WFTV, Florida Highway Patrol troopers say the crash happened on I-75 near mile marker 326 and shut down the southbound lanes. Investigators on scene had not yet confirmed how many vehicles were involved or how many people were caught up in the wreck.
Traffic and the bigger picture
The crash hit a notoriously busy stretch of interstate that the Florida Department of Transportation has already flagged for frequent, incident-related shutdowns. FDOT notes that on this corridor, crashes and other incidents close at least one lane on average every 16 hours, and full closures happen roughly every nine days. To ease the strain, FDOT plans to add auxiliary lanes and upgrade interchanges between S.R. 44 and S.R. 326 in an effort to cut down on bottlenecks and help emergency crews reach crashes faster.
Recent crashes near Wildwood
This is just the latest serious wreck in the area. In March, a chain-reaction crash near mile marker 335 sent multiple people to the hospital, as reported by WESH. The following month, an overturned semi near the Marion–Sumter county line briefly shut down lanes and pushed traffic onto local roads, according to 352Today. Both of those crashes sent drivers scrambling to U.S. 301 and nearby routes, echoing the same ripple effects commuters are seeing again today.
How to stay updated
Florida Highway Patrol troopers remain on scene, and investigators have not yet released casualty numbers or the identities of those involved, WFTV reports. Drivers heading through Sumter County should expect significant delays and consider alternate routes while southbound I-75 remains closed. Channel 9 says it will continue to provide updates as new details emerge.
