Chain of accidents tie up Florida’s I-75

Bad weather was cited as the cause of a chain of accidents on Florida’s Interstate 75 last Friday involving 47 vehicles in at least seven separate collisions, shutting the roadway down for hours and leaving at least 52 people injured, according to a spokesman for the Florida Highway Patrol said.

According to a report in the Chicago Tribune, the initial accident, which occurred on Friday afternoon near the border of Sarasota and Manatee counties on the west coast of Florida south of Tampa, is believed to have been caused by rain and driver error.

“We’re unsure as to how many separate collisions we had,” said Highway Patrol spokesman Chris Mille., adding there were no expected fatalities. Among the 52 people reported injured, 32 were transported to hospitals, Miller said.