Photos: ACFR releases additional information on the accident that closed I-75 for hours on Independence Day

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Alachua County Fire Department (ACFR) has released more photos from yesterday’s crash at mile marker 389 on southbound I-75. The crash closed the highway for hours while the victim was recovered and hazardous materials crews removed the semi’s load.

According to a press release from the Florida Highway Patrol, a 26-year-old man from Doraville, Georgia, was driving south near the 390-mile marker on I-75 at around 10:50 a.m. when a flat tire caused him to veer into the path of a semi-trailer driven by a 39-year-old man from Hyattsville, Maryland.

The driver of the semi swerved to avoid a collision with the other car, veered off the road and struck several trees. It took nearly two hours for emergency crews to use “scissor-cutters” to free the semi driver, who suffered non-life-threatening injuries. Meanwhile, a UF Health Shandscair helicopter landed on the highway, causing a complete closure for several hours.

Units from ACFR and Gainesville Fire Rescue found both vehicles heavily damaged in the tree line. In addition to rescuing the driver of the semi-trailer, emergency crews also had to deal with a hazardous materials situation due to the load in the semi-trailer’s trailer.