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Fiery Tractor Trailer Crash On Sawgrass Expy Kills Two

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SUNRISE (CBSMiami) -  Parts of the Sawgrass Expressway were shut down for nearly six hours on Thursday after a tractor trailer overturned and caught fire, killing two people.

Firefighters were on the scene of a tractor trailer that overturned on the Sawgrass Expressway just before Sunrise Boulevard around 10:30 a.m.

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Under the overturned trailer, which was carrying watermelons,was a car with at least two people dead, according to the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP).

"We have two confirmed dead. The truck driver is in serious condition. We had to detour traffic onto 595," said Sgt. Mark Wysocky with FHP.

The car and truck were both going northbound on the Sawgrass when the driver of the truck hit the back of a car. The truck then rolled over on top of a car and then burst into flames.

Images from Chopper 4 showed skid marks that crossed over multiple lanes.

After the crash, flames shot through the back of the 18-wheeler leaving firefighters with a stubborn smoldering blaze.

"Most of the cargo ended up in the vehicle, creating a giant smoldering trash pile. Getting water to penetrate that is difficult," said Sunrise Division Chief Jim Dixon.

FHP officials said it's too early to determine if speed was a factor in the crash.

To complicate matters, there is no access to a fire hydrant on that stretch of the highway.

"We ran out of water so we had to shuttle water from a toll plaza back to our tankers," said Dixon.

The truck driver was listed in serious condition.

No charges have been filed but investigators said they are speaking to witnesses and will interview the truck operator. The truck is registered to N & G Transport out of Hialeah.

The driver spoke to CBS4 over the phone and said he is in a lot of pain.  He said the car appeared in front of him and he had no time to stop. FHP said it's too soon to know if speed played a role in the crash

Southbound lanes on the Sawgrass remained open, the northbound lanes of the expressway were shut down for hours before being reopened shortly before 4 p.m.

 

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