ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Six adults died after an SUV crashed into a Road Ranger truck on Florida’s Turnpike, sending both vehicles off the road and causing them to burst into flames, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
The crash happened in the northbound lanes near mile marker 252.
Troopers said the Road Ranger had been parked in the median with its emergency lights on while assisting with an earlier crash. The driver then received a request to help a box truck on the outside shoulder and was attempting to move across the roadway.
A Chevrolet Traverse was traveling north in the inside lane. Witnesses told troopers the SUV was traveling at a high rate of speed without its headlights on.
The SUV’s front left struck the Road Ranger truck’s right rear, sending both vehicles off the roadway, according to FHP. Both caught fire.
The SUV’s driver and five passengers were trapped inside and pronounced dead at the scene. Troopers said all six were adults, but their identities had not been confirmed.
The Road Ranger driver remained at the scene and was not taken to a hospital.
The medical examiner’s office will confirm the victims’ identities and notify FHP. The crash remains under investigation.
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