Storm Warning Center Latest Hurricane Season updates and discussion. A deadly chain-reaction accident closed Interstate 4 on Monday, and officials say more road hazards may be ahead as Central Florida motorists return to work on Tuesday. The Monday accident happened near Haines City just before 7 a.m. Nearly 20 vehicles, many of them tractor-trailer rigs, collided one right after the other on a stretch of highway near U.S. 27. One driver was killed and at least 10 others injured.
Witnesses say conditions on the highway went from clear to thick smoke nearly without warning.
The sky was clear one minute, and the next drivers said they literally could not see the vehicle in front of them. Transportation officials had posted warning signs urging motorists to drive with extra caution. They warned that a shift in the winds could bring a repeat of Sunday when visibility was near zero on a stretch of I-4 near the theme parks. The smoke on I-4 comes from a series of 14 brush fires burning across Central Florida. Depending on weather conditions and wind directions, the smoke has caused problems on several major highways, including the Florida Turnpike, State Road 417 and U.S. 27.