VOLUSIA COUNTY (CBSMiami/AP) — At least three people were killed and several others injured in a series of crashes early Thursday along a stretch of I-95 in Volusia County, Florida where visibility was very low due to fog combined with smoke from prescribed burns of vegetation, officials said.
The crashes began around 1:30 a.m. south of Daytona Beach, according to Florida Highway Patrol spokeswoman Kim Montes. She said there were four separate crashes on the northbound side and one heading southbound.
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The smoke was lingering from prescribed burns in the area, and the National Weather Service had warned on Twitter of very low visibility, issuing a dense fog advisory for coastal Volusia County near Edgewater.
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For drivers traveling along the interstate at highway speeds, such conditions can be disorienting.
Two of the dead were traveling south, while the other person died in a northbound crash, Montes said. A child who was airlifted to Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children was in stable condition, and multiple people were taken to a Halifax Health Medical Center in Daytona Beach.
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Montes said investigators haven’t confirmed the total number of vehicles involved. The highway remained closed at 7 a.m. Thursday and motorists were being rerouted to U.S. 1. Troopers said the closures could last into the afternoon.
