On Saturday, August 3rd, 10 passenger vehicles and one semi-truck crashed in a linear, chain-reaction collision in the right lane of southbound Interstate 75. The accident took place on a stretch of highway just north of State Road 60 near Brandon.
Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) officials linked the cause of the pileup to one driver cutting another off. Officials cited William Morton Holcomb, 33, of Arizona, for improperly changing lanes. According to FHP, Holcomb did not look or signal before changing lanes with his 2011 Chevy Traverse, cutting off a tractor-trailer. The traverse struck the frontal passenger side of the semi as he moved from the second lane into the first lane without checking his blind spot. The impact sent the Traverse back over into the number two lane where it collided with the left sides of four other vehicles. FHP spokesperson Steve Gaskins explained the accident:
“The Traverse sideswiped a 2005 Toyota Scion, driven by Peter Belchard, 57, of Wesley Chapel; a 2013 Hyundai Elantra, driven by Darnell Law, 23, of Tampa; a 2002 Lexus SUV, driven by Syed Mohiuddin, 50, of Lutz; and a 2001 Nissan Truck, driven by Ho Hung Bui, 50, of Wesley Chapel.”
Bui’s Nissan truck was then propelled forward, colliding with a 2011 Toyota Camry, driven by Asim Kumar, 32, of Texas.
The initial collision with the 18-wheeler forced it into the outside lane where it struck a 2004 Honda CRV, driven by James Lee, 68, of Seffner. That impact propelled Lee’s vehicle into a 2011 Toyota Rav4, driven by Jeffrey Brooks, 54, of Tobyuanna, Penn., and a 2005 GMC Savanna, driven by Cid Baliquig, 27, of St. Petersburg.
The final accident victim, a 2003 Mitsubishi Diamante, driven by Marie Antonopoulos, 32, of Tampa, collided with a concrete barrier wall after the driver swerved to avoid hitting the other vehicles involved in the wreck.
In total, seven of the seventeen vehicle occupants were taken to the hospital. Lee and Brooks were initially in critical condition, but reported stable later that night. Five others suffered mild to moderate injuries.
Holcomb, the officially cited at-fault driver, was not injured. In addition to his traffic fine, he will likely face multiple claims brought by accident victims.
References:
ABC Action News
