A fatal crash on Florida's Turnpike snarled northbound traffic in Southchase late Friday night, backing up drivers near Wetherbee Road just north of State Road 417. The crash happened around 9:30 p.m. before mile marker 252, according to the Florida Department of Transportation and the Florida Highway Patrol.
Details on the extent of the shutdown have varied between outlets covering the crash. According to WESH 2 News, the three rightmost northbound lanes were shut down at the time of its report. But ClickOrlando reported that all northbound lanes were blocked as a result of the crash, attributing the information to the Florida Highway Patrol.
ClickOrlando's report placed the crash near Wetherbee Road around 9:30 p.m. Friday, also citing the Florida Highway Patrol as the source confirming at least one fatality. The station noted that no additional details had been released at the time of publication, including what caused the crash or how many people were involved.
Investigators Have Yet to Release a Cause
WESH 2 News said it had reached out to the Florida Highway Patrol for more information about the crash and described its coverage as a developing story that would be updated as more details became available. The outlet's report also included a traffic image from FDOT showing conditions near turnpike mile marker 251.9.
Friday's crash is at least the second fatal wreck on Florida's Turnpike in the Orange County area in recent memory. A separate crash on the northbound Turnpike exit ramp to the eastbound Interstate 4 express lanes, near mile marker 259, left one person dead and another injured, according to FOX 35 Orlando. In that incident, which happened around 3:04 p.m. on a Monday, a 19-year-old driver of a Mazda MX-5 lost control, struck concrete barriers and overturned, dying at the scene, while a 19-year-old passenger suffered non-life-threatening injuries. Both people involved were from St. Cloud, and the Florida Highway Patrol said that crash remained under investigation.
No cause has been confirmed for Friday night's crash near Southchase, and the number of people involved has not been released. Hoodline will continue to follow developments as the Florida Highway Patrol and FDOT release further information.
