Two tractor-trailers crashed into each other around 2:30 a.m. Wednesday morning on the interstate in Alachua County. The wreck caused the death of one of the drivers and injured passengers — one of whom was a 10-year-old girl.
The incident occurred while both vehicles were traveling northbound on Interstate 75. One tractor-trailer was cruising at a slower speed in the right-hand lane when the second tractor-trailer slammed into its rear, according to a Florida Highway Patrol press release.
The impact crushed the vehicle’s front end and trapped the driver inside. The 10-year-old passenger managed to escape the mangled cab, Alachua County Fire Rescue said.
Firefighters used the Jaws of Life tool to rescue the driver. The driver and the passenger were transported to the local trauma center, where the driver succumbed to his wounds. The driver of the forward tractor-trailer was uninjured.
The crash caused large amounts of diesel to spill out onto the interstate, prompting Gainesville Fire Rescue’s Hazmat team to be called out to assist with cleaning up the spill, according to Alachua County Fire Rescue’s press release.
The cause of the crash is still unknown, and troopers are investigating.
