Lecanto man involved in crash that closed I-75 for 3 hours; no injuries
A 42 year-old man from Lecanto, Florida was involved in a two-vehicle traffic crash involving two tractor/trailer rigs at 5:15 am, Octobe 26, in the southbound lanes of Interstate 75, north of County Road 470, in Sumter County, Florida. The second driver was a 32 year-old Orlando, Florida man.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, neither of the drivers was injured, neither carried a passenger, and each was wearing a seatbelt.
According to a FHP press release, both rigs were traveling south in the southbound, outer lane of I-75, with the Orlando driver's truck traveling ahead of the Lecanto driver's truck, which was carrying a load of lumber, and as the Lecanto man attempted to change lanes while overtaking the Orlando driver's truck, the front of his truck collided with the trailer towed by the Orlando driver's truck.
The Orlando's driver brought his truck to a controlled stop, while the impact caused the Lecanto driver's rig to rotate and jackknife as it traveled to rest in the inside travel lane and shoulder, which caused it's load of lumber to detach and become spread across all lanes of I-75, both northbound and southbound lanes (see photos, courtesy of FHP).
Due to the crash investigation and removal of debris from the roadway, I-75 was closed for aproximately three hours after the crash, until approximately 8:15 am.