TAMPA — A tragic chain-reaction crash claimed the life of a Gainesville woman and caused major traffic delays Saturday on Interstate 75.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the crash occurred at approximately 11:25 a.m. on May 3, 2025, just south of Fowler Avenue. A Hyundai Sonata, driven by a 56-year-old woman from Gainesville, was traveling in the inside southbound lane when it moved into the center lane and struck a Mazda 6. The impact redirected the Sonata into the median, where it collided with a guardrail, overturned, and crossed into the northbound lanes of I-75.
There, the overturned Sonata struck a northbound Kia Sorento in the outside lane. Debris from this collision hit a nearby Honda Civic in the center northbound lane. The Sonata eventually came to rest atop a guardrail along the outside shoulder.
The Sonata’s driver was pronounced dead at the scene. The other drivers—a 30-year-old woman from Brooklyn, NY; a 57-year-old from Riverview; and a 72-year-old from Rockville, MD—suffered no or minor injuries.
The crash led to the closure of all northbound lanes of I-75 until 5:00 p.m., as troopers investigated and cleared the scene.
Sergeant Steve Gaskins, Public Affairs Officer for the Florida Highway Patrol, confirmed the investigation remains ongoing.
