GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Florida Highway Patrol is calling its investigation “active and ongoing” as it tries to determine what caused an SUV to roll over Monday evening on Interstate 75 near Gainesville, killing the driver, injuring five others and closing the busy highway for hours.
Four of those hurt in the rollover were children, including a 6-year-old in critical condition. Another passenger, a 30-year-old woman, also was reported in critical condition.
Authorities did not identify those in the accident except to say all of them were from Beverly Hills, Florida, a small community in Citrus County about 60 miles south of Gainesville.
The highway patrol said the rollover happened about 5:35 p.m. Monday in the southbound lanes of I-75 near the Southwest Williston Road exit. The 33-year-old driver of the SUV died in the crash, the patrol said.
Other passengers included a 13-year-old girl who suffered serious injuries, and 5- and 8-year-old girls who had minor injuries.
It wasn’t immediately clear what caused the SUV to roll over. That section of I-75 is at least three lanes wide in each direction, divided by a wide, grass median. It is frequented by heavy truck traffic and many drivers regularly exceed the 70 mph speed limit and can change lanes abruptly.
The highway patrol said neither adult was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash. It wasn’t clear whether the children were buckled in.
After the accident, authorities closed all southbound lanes on I-75 for several hours Monday night. Deputies and officers from the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office and the Gainesville Police Department diverted drivers onto Archer Road while clearing debris from the crash.
“The outcome of this incident was tragic, as any loss of life is one loss to many,” the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post. The agency said it extended its “heartfelt condolences to those who lost their loved one yesterday.”
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