A truck left the road and crashed into a bush along I-75 in Charlotte County early Sunday, triggering an extrication and a trauma-alert helicopter flight that shut down the interstate's southbound lanes for hours. Crews responded to the scene south of the Tuckers Grade exit at mile marker 154 at around 4:53 a.m.
Charlotte County Public Safety reported that crews responded to a crash with injuries south of the Tuckers Grade exit, according to Gulf Coast News and Weather. Rescuers found a truck that had left the road and entered a bush, and had to perform an extrication to remove the person trapped inside.
That person was flown to a hospital as a trauma alert, the outlet reports. To get the helicopter on the ground, rescue crews established a landing zone east of the interstate, which allowed the aircraft to land safely and carry out the flight.
Southbound Lanes Closed During Rescue
Southbound lanes of I-75 were shut down at Tuckers Grade while crews worked the scene, according to the same report. The closure let rescue teams stabilize the person and coordinate the landing zone without southbound traffic moving through the area. The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating the crash.
The stretch of I-75 near Tuckers Grade has seen other serious crashes over the past several months. On June 2, a 26-year-old man driving a Toyota Corolla northbound just south of Tuckers Grade collided with a Volvo semitrailer, and the Toyota left the roadway, entered the tree line and erupted into flames, per mysuncoast.com. That driver suffered minor injuries and was taken to a hospital, while the semi driver was not hurt.
Pattern of Serious Crashes in the Corridor
A crash near the Tuckers Grade exit in September also ended with one person flown to the hospital as a trauma alert, the same Gulf Coast News and Weather report notes. And in March, a fatal crash near mile marker 154 shut down the northbound lanes between Tuckers Grade and Bayshore Road, according to WINK News. Further back, two semi-trucks flipped on I-75 north of Tuckers Grade in October 2020, as reported by NBC2 News. The available evidence does not establish that these incidents are connected or point to a broader, statistically confirmed trend along the corridor.
No further details on the injured person's identity, age, or condition have been released. Florida residents seeking additional crash records can request them from the Florida Department of Transportation by phone or email.
