A crash on Florida's Turnpike shut down all northbound lanes in southwest Miami-Dade on Wednesday morning, leaving eight people injured near Tamiami Trail. Florida Highway Patrol placed the crash at around 11:20 a.m. near mile marker 25, close to the Southwest 8th Street exit, which is also known as Tamiami Trail or U.S. 41.
Mass Casualty Response Triggered
The crash happened in the Turnpike's northbound lanes just before 11:30 a.m. near Southwest 8th Street, according to Florida Highway Patrol, as reported by CBS Miami. FHP reported that eight occupants were transported to a hospital with injuries, though the severity of those injuries was not immediately known. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue upgraded the call to a Level 1 mass casualty event because of the number of patients, according to WSVN 7News.
Accounts of the crash details diverge. FHP described the crash as involving a black SUV and a white work van, per the CBS Miami report, while WSVN reported the crash involved those same two vehicles plus a blue Mazda near the Southwest Eighth Street exit. The outlets also differ on how many of the injured were taken to hospitals and how serious those injuries were — WSVN reported that seven of the eight people who suffered injuries were transported to an area hospital and that three suffered serious injuries, taken to HCA Florida Kendall Hospital, while FHP's account cited by CBS Miami put the number of transported occupants at eight and described the severity of injuries as unknown.
Traffic Diverted as Lanes Remain Closed
All northbound lanes of the Turnpike were shut down following the crash, according to NBC 6 South Florida, which placed the crash at mile marker 25 for Tamiami Trail. Per the same report, eight people were hurt in the crash. WSVN added that troopers shut down all northbound lanes near the crash site and that northbound traffic was being diverted at the 41st Street exit.
No information has been released on what caused the crash, and officials have not provided the identities or ages of those injured. It also remains unclear when the northbound lanes are expected to reopen to regular traffic.
