Man killed in 8 vehicle crash on I-95 near Airport Expressway
MIAMI - One person was killed and nearly a dozen others were hurt in a multi-vehicle crash on I-95 that Miami Fire Rescue called a "mass casualty incident."
The accident, which involved eight vehicles, happened in the southbound lanes in the area of NW 62nd Street at 2:10 a.m.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the driver of a black Tesla sedan was heading south, lost control, and slammed into the concrete barrier wall. The disabled car came to a stop, blocking the roadway.
The Tesla was then struck by a black Dodge sedan. On impact, the man driving the Tesla was thrown from the vehicle and landed on the road.
An oncoming white Nissan slowed down in an attempt to avoid running over the man and was struck by a Chevy SUV. As a result of the collision, the Nissan was pushed forward and ran over the man.
A series of minor crashes then occurred between a Chevy SUV, a Nissan sedan, a white Jeep SUV, a tow truck, and a gray Jeep SUV.
The driver of the Tesla died on the scene and nine others were injured. One man was taken to the Ryder Trauma Center in serious condition, four other adults were taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital where they were listed as stable. The remaining four refused treatment.
A woman who said she was a friend of one of those taken to the hospital went to Jackson Memorial to check on her.
She said her friend was inside the white Nissan sedan that was struck from behind.
"All I know is my friend called me and said somebody hit her from the back. When they hit her from the back, they flew out the window. So I don't know. I'm just here to make sure she's okay," she said. "I just came here to the hospital to make sure she is ok. I am just trying to get into the hospital to make sure she is ok," she said. "She doesn't know what happened. She is in shock herself."
As we saw from Chopper 4, southbound traffic was backed up for miles on I-95 and was tied up for more than 6 hours, stretching from the pre-dawn darkness on the highway and into the morning rush hour in Miami-Dade. FHP said at 8:45 a.m., the highway was finally clear.
CBS News Miami's Peter D'Oench tried to find out if any of the drivers were speeding or might have been distracted or if there were other factors that might have led to this deadly accident.
So far, the Florida Highway Patrol is not commenting as it is looking into the cause of the accident.