FHP Releases Report On Fiery I-75 Crash That Killed Tate Grad And Family

August 11, 2012

A 31-page report from the Florida Department Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles and Florida Highway Patrol released Friday concluded driver error played significant roles in the deaths of 11 people and the injuries to many more during a series of crashes on a smoke-shrouded stretch of I-75 south of Gainesville in January.

The bodies of Tate graduate Michael Hughes, his daughter Sabryna Dawn Louise Hughes and Sabryna’s stepmother Lori Hughes were found two days after the crash in a badly burned pickup truck. The truck was incinerated when it collided with a semi-truck that had stopped on I-75 due to fog and smoke conditions. The family had traveled from Pensacola to the Gainesville area to attend a funeral.

Friends said Michael Hughes grew up in the Jacks Branch Road area and was a 1990 graduate of Tate High School.

The crash, which took place  after 4 a.m., was prompted by smoky conditions from a nearby wildfire that led to poor visibility. But it was drivers’ reactions to those conditions that contributed to the disaster, the FHP report noted.

Some drivers stopped in the middle of travel lanes while other drivers didn’t slow down enough to be able to travel safely through the thick haze. While additional training may help, the report’s authors say the tragedy could happen again despite the best training and protocol.

“Even if each of the recommendations made by the FDLE in its incident review were to have been present or occurred that night, it is probable the same decision would have been reached,” the report concludes. “Also, no amount of planning or policy will take the place of driver reaction to low visibility and unpredictable conditions.”

The state is facing multiple lawsuits from drivers and their survivors following the January 29 crash which to place shortly after that stretch of road was reopened for traffic.

Editor’s note: While the FHP report found that driver behavior contributed to the crashes, the report does not specifically detail what caused the Hughes’ family to become involved in the accidents.

The News Service of Florida contributed to this report.

Comments

2 Responses to “FHP Releases Report On Fiery I-75 Crash That Killed Tate Grad And Family”

  1. bamaman on August 12th, 2012 7:57 pm

    i think your right sounds like fhp trying to cover up there mistake and i think they are stupid for opening up the hwy when pepole could not see.

  2. 32514gator on August 12th, 2012 10:13 am

    Sounds to me that FHP is covering up their own mistakes to avoid one heck of a lawsuit.

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News