4 killed, including 7-year-old in early-morning pileup on I-95 in Florida

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Four people, including a 7-year-old boy, were killed in a five-car pileup on Interstate 95 in Florida early Monday morning.

The chain-reaction crash happened at about 2:15 a.m. at mile-marker 153 near Fellsmere in Indian River County, NBC affiliate WPTV reported .

According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the crash occurred when a 2009 Toyota Camry driven by a 37-year-old Miami woman rear-ended a 2001 Suzuki Vitara, driven by a 40-year-old Miami man in the northbound lanes.

Following the rear-ending, a Dodge Journey, driven by a 40-year-old woman — which had a man and four children under the age of 10 inside — slammed into the Suzuki.

The drivers of the Camry and Suzuki go out to help the people in the Dodge; however, while they were on the road, a Freightliner semi-truck driven by a 63-year-old Miami man approached them.

“Due to lighting, [the semi driver] was not able to see what was going on and struck the left side of the Dodge Journey,” FHP Trooper Raeford Griffin told WPTV.

Both the drivers of the Camry and Suzuki were fatally struck and one person was thrown from the Dodge as a result.

After that crash, a 2022 Chrysler Pacifica, driven by a 27-year-old Canadian man, smashed into the Camry. The man and a 25-year-old woman from Ontario were taken to the hospital, WPTV said.

Two people who were inside the Dodge during the crash, a 40-year-old woman and a 7-year-old boy tragically died. The other passengers, a 42-year-old man, a 9-year-old girl, a 5-year-old boy, and a 2-month-old baby boy were taken to the hospital.

The 9-year-old is in stable condition, but the other conditions are unknown at this time, according to WPTV.

Northbound lanes of I-95 were closed for several hours and reopened by about 2 p.m. It does not appear that any criminal charges will be filed, but the investigation is ongoing.

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