A chaotic midmorning crash on one of Central Florida’s busiest stretches of highway turned the Florida Turnpike into a parking lot Tuesday, after a dump truck collided with a string of passenger vehicles in Osceola County. The crash happened around 11:20 a.m. in the northbound lanes near mile marker 248, drawing a swift response from Florida Highway Patrol, fire crews, and paramedics. What followed was hours of gridlock, crunched metal, and a scene dramatic enough to pull news helicopters overhead for an aerial look, according to WFTV.
The collision involved a dump truck and six to eight other vehicles, and several people were taken to area hospitals, including at least one person with serious injuries. Florida Highway Patrol confirmed that no fatalities occurred, which given the scale of the wreck, was something of a relief. The cause of the crash remained under investigation as of Tuesday afternoon, with troopers working to piece together exactly how things unraveled so quickly on such a heavily traveled corridor.
WESH 2’s news chopper was first on the scene from the air, capturing exclusive aerial footage that showed the sheer scope of the damage below. Firefighters, an ambulance, and tow trucks were all visible clustered along the northbound lanes, while backed-up traffic stretched well behind the crash site. It took crews roughly two hours to get a shoulder lane moving, and all northbound lanes were back open by later in the afternoon as troopers continued their investigation…