OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. – A semitruck became engulfed in flames Monday morning after a crash with a car on Interstate 4 in Osceola County, shutting down the interstate for hours.
The crash shut down I-4 in both directions for hours through the afternoon, causing traffic headaches for motorists.
Traffic cameras showed flames and smoke billowing from the vehicle near mile marker 59 on I-4 west before the fire was put out. Officials said the crash involved “hazardous materials (fertilizer).”
Both directions of the interstate were shut down after 11 a.m., but eastbound lanes reopened around 4 p.m. All westbound lanes of I-4 reopened around 8 p.m., with the exception of the far left inside lane, FDOT officials said, because the lane will need to be repaired.
Officials on Monday evening said the westbound off-ramp at County Road 532 was closed, “as the burnt trailer of the truck from the incident has been placed there and is being monitored by fire rescue.”
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, a 2017 Ford Focus and the semitruck were traveling next to each other when the left side of the Ford collided with the right side of the semi.
The impact caused the semitruck driver to lose control and hit a guardrail, overturning and becoming engulfed in flames. Troopers said they are still determining what led to the wreck and what vehicle “left its lane of travel.”
The Ford driver, a 29-year-old New Jersey man, and the semitruck driver, a 59-year-old Polk City man, were uninjured, and no one was taken to the hospital.
An investigation is ongoing.