Sliding semitrucks, screeching halts: JFRD credits ‘miracle’ no one killed in 35-car pile-up

2 years ago 293

Photo courtesy of Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department. (JFRD)

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville Fire Rescue said it’s a occurrence nary 1 was killed successful an interstate pile-up connected I-95 southbound adjacent Airport Road Thursday afternoon.

The archetypal 911 telephone came successful astir 3 p.m. Rescuers responded wrong minutes.

“I pulled up. All I could spot were cars and trucks turned and crashed,” Jacksonville Fire Rescue Captain Eric Proswimmer said.

These kinds of crashes are uncommon connected Northeast Florida Highways, but are not unheard of.

News4JAX records amusement successful 2014 Florida Highway Patrol worked a fiery clang involving 11 cars connected Interstate 95 successful St. Johns and Flager County. 6 radical died.

Thursday’s clang progressive 35 cars, aggregate semitrucks, 2 extractions, and 11 radical were taken to the hospital.

“When you’ve got sliding semitrucks and cars coming to screeching halts and radical scattering successful each antithetic direction, it’s genuinely astonishing and a occurrence that cipher was killed,” Proswimmer said.

Onlookers added to the information during rescues and clean-up, according to Proswimmer, arsenic responders witnessed respective passersby taking video of crashes portion they were driving.

Florida Highway Patrol, the pb bureau investigating the origin of the crash, said the interstate pile-up started erstwhile a car rear-ended different successful the close lane.

Then a semi-driver who did not spot the clang swerved to the halfway lane, hitting different semi, and similar a concatenation reaction, different crashes followed.

So however bash you support yourself from these kinds of crashes?

Jason Dominguez astatine JAX driving schoolhouse gave News4JAX answers.

“(When a semi is approaching,) I don’t privation him down me. I’m going to fto him pass. I don’t privation to beryllium anyplace adjacent him. Just enactment distant from him,” Dominguez said.

That’s the champion happening to do, according to Dominguez: enactment arsenic overmuch region arsenic you tin betwixt you and a semitruck, and wage attraction to what’s happening astir you.