15-vehicle crash leaves over 20 hurt on S.R. 417 in Seminole County
A car crash involving 15 vehicles injured 24 people in Seminole County on Saturday night.
The accident took place in the southbound lanes of State Road 417 near Mile Marker 44 around 9:44 p.m., said Lt. Kim Montes of the Florida Highway Patrol.
Authorities said an initial two-vehicle crash between a 2017 Volkswagen Jetta, driven by an 18-year-old from Palm Coast, and a 2012 Chevy Cruze, driven by an 18-year-old from Orlando, caused the other 13 vehicles to collide in a chain-reaction-type crash.
Both drivers offered different accounts of the accident, each blaming the other for aggressive driving, Montes said.
Although authorities have not determined the cause of the initial accident, street-car racing and road-rage scenarios are being investigated.
Six people with non-life-threatening injuries were transported to local hospitals. Five were taken to Oviedo Medical Center, and one person to Central Florida Regional Hospital.
All the southbound lanes were reopened at 1 a.m. after the 15 vehicles were removed from the scene.
