Drivers worried after several people die in accident on I-95

Indian River County residents are responding after a fatal crash on I-95 left four people dead Monday.

Residents living just miles from the scene of the tragic, fatal five-vehicle crash remember the moments they learned about it.

“My GPS told me that a road was closed. So I listened to different radio stations and heard a little bit about it. When I got home, I heard the rest,” said Austin Mills. “I was like, oh my God, I couldn’t believe it.”

The five-vehicle crash occurred near Fellsmere at 2 a.m. and left neighbors like Austin Mills feeling uneasy about the road.

“It’s terrible, it’s sad, you know. The highway is so dangerous,” Mills explained.

According to FHP, a 37-year-old Miami woman driving a 2009 Toyota Camry rear-ended a 2001 Suzuki Vitara driven by a 40-year-old Miami woman.

This then caused a gray 2012 Dodge Journey SUV, carrying a Palm Bay family, to collide with those two vehicles and land vertically on the road.

The 37-year-old and 40-year-old Miami women exited their vehicles to help the family in the Dodge Journey. Then a semi-truck crashed into the Dodge Journey, killing four people in the crash, including the 37-year-old and 40-year-old Miami women and two people in the Dodge Journey: a 40-year-old woman and a 7-year-old boy.

“Accidents happen, you know, sometimes they’re unavoidable,” Mills explained. “But it’s sad. The poor families. When the babies die, it’s hard.”

Neighbors said northbound lanes were closed for at least six hours because of the accident.

A total of six people were hospitalized, including three children. The identities of the victims were not disclosed.

“They’re in a better place now. No more pain,” Mills explained. “It’s really hard sometimes, but God bless them.”

Indian River County sheriff’s officials said there have been several fatal traffic accidents in the area since the beginning of the year.

The crash is currently being investigated.

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