3 Dead In Multiple Crashes Amid Fog And Smoke On I-95 In Florida

VOLUSIA COUNTY (CBSMiami/AP) — At least three people were killed and several others injured in a series of crashes early Thursday along a stretch of I-95 in Volusia County, Florida where visibility was very low due to fog combined with smoke from prescribed burns of vegetation, officials said.

The crashes began around 1:30 a.m. south of Daytona Beach, according to Florida Highway Patrol spokeswoman Kim Montes. She said there were four separate crashes on the northbound side and one heading southbound.

The smoke was lingering from prescribed burns in the area, and the National Weather Service had warned on Twitter of very low visibility, issuing a dense fog advisory for coastal Volusia County near Edgewater.

For drivers traveling along the interstate at highway speeds, such conditions can be disorienting.
Two of the dead were traveling south, while the other person died in a northbound crash, Montes said. A child who was airlifted to Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children was in stable condition, and multiple people were taken to a Halifax Health Medical Center in Daytona Beach.

Montes said investigators haven't confirmed the total number of vehicles involved. The highway remained closed at 7 a.m. Thursday and motorists were being rerouted to U.S. 1. Troopers said the closures could last into the afternoon.