5 Of The Biggest Car Accidents In Florida History

Chances are, you’ve seen an accident or two take place here in Florida. Whether it’s on your morning commute or just picking up some groceries at Publix, crazy drivers are just about everywhere. Today, we’re looking back on some of the biggest car accidents in Florida history.

Today, we have computer-sized screens in half the cars on the road and drivers swiping through TikTok while on their morning commute. Some cars are even taking hands-free tech to a new level with self-driving cars.

Even though we have seen an increase in distracted driving, new tech isn’t always to blame. Many of the worst and biggest car accidents have been caused by poor visibility and driving conditions.

We’re going to be looking over not only some of the biggest car accidents and pileups but also the most deadly. Many of these have taken place since the early 2000s, but we will start with the most recent notable accident.

On state Route 408 heading into Orlando, heavy rains and low visibility lead to a massive accident. These dangerous driving conditions combined with evening rush hour traffic were the recipe for the perfect storm causing a 43 car pile-up.

Now one was killed in this mess, and only a few injuries were reported. The lanes were blocked off for hours making it one of the biggest car accidents in Florida.

Unfortunately, this famous Alligator Alley accident turned deadly. As the early morning fog came in along Alligator Alley (I-75), driving conditions became less than ideal. As a car carrier truck was heading westbound into the dense fog, they ran into a pickup truck causing the pickup to end up in the eastbound lane,

As the pickup was pushed into oncoming traffic, six more accidents happened on both sides of the road. There were 27 vehicles involved in this accident including 16 semi trucks. 

The road was closed for hours to clean and help those involved in the accident. Three people were killed and 13 others injured making it one of Florida’s biggest car accidents.

We all know how wild I-4 can get at just about any time of the day. I don’t think it’s possible to ever drive I-4 without seeing an accident or major delays. Back in 2008, a nearby fire was causing smoke and fog to make its way onto the already dangerous stretch of road.

The limited visibility resulted in a massive 70-car pile-up across a span of 15 miles. Cars were pinned down by other cars and semi-trucks. Of the 70 vehicles, there were 20 work trucks and semis. This accident turned lethal as 38 people were injured, 5 with serious injuries, and resulted in 4 dead.

Low visibility strikes again, but this time with heavy rainfall as the culprit. Right on the edge of Sarasota and Manatee County at the overpass for Univeristy Parkway, heavy rainfall causing low visibility and slippery conditions caused 12 separate collisions to take place around 3:30 involving 47 vehicles, both commercial trucks and cars).

The stretch of I-75 was closed for 6 hours with 52 people injured with 22 of them being transported to local hospitals without life-threatening injuries. Luckily, no one was seriously hurt or killed, but this remains one of the biggest car accidents in Florida’s history.

At around 11 pm in 2017, a tractor-trailer truck collided with two stopped vehicles that were involved in a prior accident. The truck pushed the cars into the cars in front of it causing a chain reaction pileup to occur involving 22 vehicles.

Of the 22 vehicles, there were said to be 3 semi trucks involved. The 22-car pileup shut down the southbound lane son I-95 for hours. There were 13 people injured and one died from the accident making it one of the biggest car accidents in Florida’s history.

We all know how bad the traffic is here in Florida.Whether it's a biker weaving through traffic on the 275 or some nutjob riding the shoulder at rush hour blowing past emergency vehicles at 95. It’s confirmed, Florida has 6 of the deadliest counties for traffic fatalities in the United States.

A new report was recently released by ConvoyCarShipping.com listing the deadliest counties for traffic fatalities in the United States. The report says the team “sought out the U.S. counties with the highest rate of traffic fatalities between 2017 and 2022 using data from the Fatalities Analysis Reporting System (FARS).” And, is based on the Forbes Advisor ranking for the cities with the worst drivers. 

Out of the top 20 counties in the country, Florida claims 6 spots which is more than any other state in the US. With one person killed in a car accident every 12 minutes, there are about 40,000 deaths per year involving traffic incidents throughout the country.

Convoy split the deadliest counties into 4 different categories. They focused on population sizes of (0-19,999), (20,000-149,999), (150,000-499,999), and (500,000+). For the purposes of our list, we’re highlighting the 6 counties within the highest category of 500,000+.

Not only did they find the deadliest counties for traffic in the United States, but Convoy also included the deadliest major US highway or interstate within each county during the five-year period. Just a few weeks ago, we shared a Forbes list of the cities with the worst drivers in the country and once again, Florida cities made the cut.

Earlier this year, there was a fatal accident on East Bay with two people dying. A man was driving through Largo, Florida at 92 miles per hour when he struck a vehicle in the intersection killing the two passengers in the car he hit. 

Drivers have gotten so bad around Tampa Bay that law enforcement has started to use completely unmarked vehicles. The Mustang GT, Toyota Camry, Toyota Rav 4, and more everyday civilian vehicles are being used to blend in to catch dangerous drivers.

Volusia County was the 1st overall deadliest county in the U.S. For traffic fatalities.

Population Size: 579,192

Total Number of Fatalities from 2017-2021: 648

Rate of Traffic Fatalities per 10,000 People: 11.19

Deadliest Road In County: US-1

Number of fatalities on the deadliest road from 2017-2021: 82

Polk County was the 4th overall deadliest county in the U.S. For traffic fatalities.

Population Size: 787,404

Total Number of Fatalities from 2017-2021: 675

Rate of Traffic Fatalities per 10,000 People: 8.57

Deadliest Road In County: US-27 & SR-60

Number of fatalities on the deadliest road from 2017-2021: 70

Pasco County was the 5th overall deadliest county in the U.S. For traffic fatalities.

Population Size: 608,794

Total Number of Fatalities from 2017-2021: 515

Rate of Traffic Fatalities per 10,000 People: 8.46

Deadliest Road In County: US-19

Number of fatalities on the deadliest road from 2017-2021: 112

Duval County was the 6th overall deadliest county in the U.S. For traffic fatalities.

Population Size: 1,016,536

Total Number of Fatalities from 2017-2021: 830

Rate of Traffic Fatalities per 10,000 People: 8.16

Deadliest Road In County: US-90

Number of fatalities on the deadliest road from 2017-2021: 91

Hillsborough County was the 16th overall deadliest county in the U.S. For traffic fatalities.

Population Size: 1,513,301

Total Number of Fatalities from 2017-2021: 1,069

Rate of Traffic Fatalities per 10,000 People: 7.06

Deadliest Road In County: US-41

Number of fatalities on the deadliest road from 2017-2021: 101

Pasco County was the 5th overall deadliest county in the U.S. For traffic fatalities.

Population Size: 630,693

Total Number of Fatalities from 2017-2021: 435

Rate of Traffic Fatalities per 10,000 People: 6.9

Deadliest Road In County: US-1

Number of fatalities on the deadliest road from 2017-2021: 96