Lakeland I-4 crash: Two critically injured, lanes closed for several hours
Courtesy: Florida Highway Patrol.
LAKELAND, Fla. - Two people were taken to the hospital with critical injuries after an I-4 crash that caused major delays in Lakeland during rush hour on Monday.
Westbound I-4 Lakeland closure
The backstory:
The Florida Department of Transportation said I-4's westbound lanes have since reopened. The lanes were closed for several hours to all traffic just west of Exit 38, which is near State Road 33 in Lakeland.
Emergency crews responded and took two people with critical injuries to the hospital.
Lakeland crash investigation
What we know:
The Florida Highway Patrol said a Lexus sedan was heading westbound on I-4 when it drove into the outside shoulder and slammed into a disabled tractor-trailer. That's when officials said the sedan spun back into the westbound lanes and was hit by another tractor-trailer in the center lane.
The drivers of the tractor-trailers weren't injured during the crash, but the driver and passenger in the sedan, a 20-year-old Winter Haven man and a 19-year-old Orlando man, both suffered serious injuries.
What we don't know:
Investigators have not confirmed what led up to the crash.
Separate I-4 crash
What we know:
I-4 was also closed in the westbound lanes in Hillsborough County at Kingsway Road due to law enforcement activity on the overpass, according to Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office. This area has since reopened.
See live traffic conditions below:
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from the Florida Department of Transportation, who reported the highway closures and traffic detours, as well as local emergency crews who responded to the crash.