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 crash on Interstate 95 in Florida early Monday morning.

The chain-link accident happened around 2:15 a.m. at Mile 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 while traveling in the northbound lane.

After being hit from behind, the Dodge Journey, driven by a 40-year-old woman and carrying a man and four children under the age of 10, struck the Suzuki.

The drivers of the Camry and Suzuki went to help the people in the Dodge, but while they were on their way, they were approached by a Freightliner truck driven by a 63-year-old man from Miami.

“Because of the lighting, (the truck driver) couldn’t see what was happening and hit the left side of the Dodge Journey,” FHP Trooper Raeford Griffin told WPTV.

The drivers of both cars, a Camry and a Suzuki, were fatally struck, and one person was ejected from the Dodge.

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

The two people in the Dodge at the time of the crash, a 40-year-old woman and a 7-year-old boy, were tragically killed. The other passengers, a 42-year-old man, a 9-year-old girl, a 5-year-old boy and a 2-month-old baby, were taken to hospital.

According to WPTV, the 9-year-old is in stable condition, but his current medical condition is unknown.

The northbound lanes of I-95 were closed for several hours and reopened around 2 p.m. It does not appear any criminal charges were filed, but the investigation is ongoing.