Woman killed, another hurt in wrong-way crash on I-4 in Winter Park: FHP
Woman dead, 1 hurt in wrong-way crash on I-4
Wrong-way drivers have been going up at certain major on-ramps since 2019. However, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) says it's still working on getting more installed. Had there been more, they may have warned law enforcement about the potential for an early-morning crash Tuesday that left one woman dead and another person injured.
WINTER PARK, Fla. - These days, there aren’t just signs to warn you if you’re headed the wrong way; there are systems in place to warn other drivers and law enforcement, too.
Wrong-way drivers have been going up at certain major on-ramps since 2019. However, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) says it's still working on getting more installed. Had there been more, they may have warned law enforcement about the potential for an early-morning crash Tuesday that left one woman dead and another person injured.
"It was just destruction," Javier Alvarez recalled.
He and his coworker, Sam Adkins, said they were both around 45 minutes late for work Tuesday because of the traffic backup.
"Probably one of the worst accidents I’ve seen," said Alvarez.
There are lots of systems in place to try to prevent wrong-way drivers.
"Do not enter" signs at every exit ramp, directional arrows, pavement markers that reflect in red when you’re headed the wrong way, and more.
Chopper video: Deadly crash shuts down I-4
Troopers have shut down a portion of Interstate 4 following a deadly crash early Tuesday morning. The Florida Highway Patrol said the crash happened around 4:40 a.m. in the eastbound lanes at the Lee Road exit. All eastbound lanes are currently blocked in the area. The express lanes in the area, however, remain open.
None of that was enough to stop a 32-year-old Davenport woman from heading west down the eastbound lanes of I-4 near Winter Park.'
Wrong-way drivers are a big problem in Central Florida. The FDOT says 18% of them result in a fatality, 71% happen in the dark, 42% are caused by drivers under the age of 30, and the driver is impaired by drugs or alcohol in 45% of these cases.
MORE HEADLINES:
- Space tourism growing as companies work to send regular people into orbit
- onePULSE Foundation hands memorial for Pulse victims over to City of Orlando
- Charges dropped against former Seminole County deputy accused of touching woman during traffic stop
Some intersections have radar-based wrong-way detection systems that automatically alert law enforcement and send a warning message on boards that hang over the interstate. The location where the wrong-way driver was reported, exit 90, and where the crash happened, exit 88, do not yet have those detection systems installed.
The Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) is investigating the crash. Migdalisis Garcia of the FHP said they aren’t entirely sure which entrance ramps the driver used to get on the highway, but the first of many calls about the driver came in from exit 90.
"It takes that driver to realize that and to turn back around and go the correct way," said Garcia. "So we have to all play a part in and remain alert when we're driving in case that driver did not fix the issue."
This crash took a woman’s life, put another woman in the hospital, and caused issues for hundreds of motorists. The FHP is still trying to figure out what led to the crash, including whether the wrong-way driver was impaired in any way.
If you see a warning on the highway that there’s a wrong-way driver nearby, the FHP and FDOT say to slow down and pull to the side of the road. If you yourself are driving the wrong way, you should stop, pull over, and turn around when it’s safe to do so.