As many as 47 vehicles were involved in multiple crashes on a stretch of southbound Interstate 75 Friday, leaving mangled heaps of wreckage strewn along the Manatee and Sarasota county line, according to the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office.
At least 52 people were taken to area hospitals, including three who were airlifted from the scene, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. There were no immediate reports of fatalities, authorities said.
"It was confusing, a lot of cars, a lot of rain,” motorist Julio Olmedo told the newspaper.
David Wagle, 57, said he was driving in the middle lane when he spotted a truck ahead lose control, the trailer jackknifing to the right, it said.
"For a minute, nonstop, you could hear crash after crash," he said.
Wagle said he escaped injury after his white Ford truck slammed into a ditch, narrowly missing a row of trees.
"My truck doesn't have a scratch," he said. "Every car literally around is smashed."
Authorities said I-75 was expected to be closed for hours.
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