One person killed, five others injured in Friday crash on I-75 in Marion County

A crash on Interstate 75 claimed the life of one person, injured five others and blocked the busy highway for miles Friday night.

Here's what we know:

Where did the crash happen? Northbound by mile marker 365, roughly three miles south of the Orange Lake (County Road 318) exit.

What time did first responders get the call? Marion County Fire Rescue spokesman James Lucas said crews were notified about the crash at 5:50 p.m. and arrived at 6:04 p.m. Patients were transported to UF Health Shands Hospital in Gainesville. Law enforcement officials said one person, a man, died at the hospital.

Which agency is investigating the crash? Florida Highway Patrol.

What happened? Troopers on scene said an older model Ford F-250 pickup truck was southbound in the left lane on I-75 when the driver lost control of the vehicle. It hit the guardrail and flipped over into the northbound travel lanes, where it struck a Toyota Camry. Debris from the vehicles then hit a GMC Yukon SUV, troopers said.

How many people were in each vehicle? Who died and who was injured? Authorities said three men were in the pickup truck. The driver, a 65-year-old man from Apopka, was killed. His passengers — two men, ages 54 and 74, both from Orlando — were listed in serious condition at the hospital.

A 42-year-old woman from Albany, Georgia was driving the Toyota. Her passengers were her two daughters, ages 12 and 7. They all were taken to Shands, where there were listed in stable condition, authorities said.

The Yukon SUV carried seven members of a family from Sharpsburg, Georgia. The driver was a man, age 41. The passengers were his wife, age 42, and their five children, four girls and a boy ages 13 to 18. No one in the Yukon was injured, FHP officials said.

More details: The men in the pickup were returning to Orlando from work, law enforcement officials said. The families in the Toyota and Yukon were on their way home to Georgia.

Was I-75 blocked? Yes. Traffic was backed up south to the State Road 326 exit. At the crash site, road crews blocked the inside and middle lanes, leaving the outside lane open for traffic. The roadway was re-opened about midnight.

Increase: 2024 traffic deaths in unincorporated Marion County on pace to exceed 2023 numbers

Is this the first traffic fatality on Marion County roads for the Thanksgiving holiday? Yes. Last year, two people died during the Thanksgiving break.

How many people have died on the county's roadways? So far in 2024, the number is 89. In 2023, 92 people were killed in traffic crashes in Marion County. The numbers don't include traffic deaths that have occurred in the cities of Ocala, Belleview and Dunnellon.

Contact Austin L. Miller at austin.miller@starbanner.com

This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: I-75 crash north of Ocala, Florida kills one man, injures five people