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1 killed, 1 seriously injured in I-75 chain-reaction crash: FHP

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Published  May 12, 2026 1:15pm EDT
Sumter County
FOX 13 News
article

One person was killed and another was injured in a multi-vehicle crash that shut down southbound lanes in Sumter County. Courtesy: FHP

The Brief

    • A 60-year-old Georgia man died, and another driver suffered serious injuries following a chain-reaction crash involving four tractor-trailers on I-75 on Monday night.
    • The fatal collision happened at 11:34 p.m. a few miles south of the Wildwood exit after a previous three-vehicle crash involving a motorhome scattered debris across the southbound lanes.
    • All southbound lanes of I-75 were closed while crews cleared the wreckage, but have since reopened.

WILDWOOD, Fla. - A massive pileup involving several tractor-trailers left one man dead and another seriously injured on I-75 in Sumter County late Monday night.

Fatal pileup on I-75

What we know:

According to the Florida Highway Patrol, everything began when a tractor-trailer collided with a Ford F350 towing a motorhome near Wildwood around 10:20 p.m. 

Troopers said the impact destroyed the motorhome and left debris scattered across every southbound lane. A Honda CRV then struck that debris and became disabled, according to FHP.

Traffic began to slow or stop because of the first wreck. At 11:34 p.m., troopers said a fourth tractor-trailer failed to slow down and slammed into another semi-truck. This started a chain reaction involving two more tractor-trailers, according to FHP.

Trooper said the driver of the first truck in the second crash, a 60-year-old man from Georgia, was thrown from his vehicle. He died at a hospital from his injuries. The driver of the second truck, according to FHP, suffered serious injuries and is being treated at an area hospital.

Investigation into the crash

What we don't know:

Troopers have not yet released the names of the drivers involved in the fatal collision. It is also unclear if any of the drivers from the first crash will face charges for the initial wreck that caused the traffic to stop.

Southbound traffic impact

By the numbers:

Four tractor-trailers were involved in the fatal second crash, while three vehicles were involved in the initial accident. 

Current road conditions

Southbound lanes were shut down at the 329 milepost to redirect drivers to SR-44. The highway remained closed for several hours, but reopened around noon on Tuesday. 

The Source: The information in this story was gathered from the Florida Highway Patrol, who provided a detailed report on the sequence of both crashes and the resulting injuries.

Sumter County