‘6-vehicle crash’ closes part of Interstate 75 in Brandon

A chain-reaction crash involving six vehicles on Interstate 75 has closed the roadway to southbound traffic and disrupted the evening commute Wednesday.

The initial crash occurred just south of State Road 60 in Brandon around 1:26 p.m., according to FL511. Southbound traffic was diverted to U.S. 301 while the lane closures were in effect, the Florida Highway Patrol said.

That first collision happened when a white Toyota Corolla veered off the roadway and collided with the crash cushion, a crash report from the Highway Patrol said. According to the Florida Department of Transportation, “crash cushions are used to protect motorists from the exposed ends of barriers, fixed objects and other hazards within the clear zone.”

Dashcam footage showed the driver of an Amazon semi-truck behind the Toyota tried to swerve out of the way, but it hit the car and the concrete traffic barrier, troopers said.

More than two hours later, a black Ford Ranger swerved to avoid the crash site but collided with debris in the roadway. According to the Highway Patrol, the “inattentive driver” of a black Dodge Challenger failed to notice the Ford hit the debris and didn’t stop in time to avoid striking the Nissan Altima ahead of him. This caused the Nissan to collide with an Acura RLX ahead, troopers said.

One person was seriously injured, he said. Others suffered injuries that were not believed to be life-threatening.

This is a developing story. Stay with tampabay.com for updates.