SANFORD, Fla. – A crash with injuries in Seminole County involved a stolen vehicle and temporarily shut down Interstate 4 westbound in the Sanford area, according to authorities.
A Florida Department of Transportation camera showed traffic stopped on I-4 westbound one mile from exit 104, which is Highway 17-92.
All lanes had been reopened by the time of this report.
Witnesses told Florida Highway Patrol troopers that a BMW M4 was speeding and passing on the shoulder before the vehicle ran off the road and hit a sign support pole.
Heavy smoke could be seen rising in the woods where the vehicle ended up.
One of the people in the vehicle was ejected while the other was able to crawl out, troopers said. They were both taken to a hospital in Sanford in critical condition, according to FHP.
Traffic on that side was backed up for miles.
A spokesperson for the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement that deputies were made aware late Thursday morning that the BMW had been stolen out of a neighborhood in Heathrow. Seminole County deputies eventually located the BMW in the area of State Road 434 and Markham Woods Road, but it fled before a traffic stop could be made, the spokesperson said.
Though deputies reportedly did not follow the vehicle on the ground, a sheriff’s office helicopter spotted it and monitored from the air, according to the statement. Charges of grand theft auto are anticipated against two suspects in connection to the case, the sheriff’s office said.
Stay with News 6 for updates.