WEDGEFIELD, Fla. — All eastbound lanes of State Road 528 have reopened near Wedgefield after a semi overturned and caught fire Thursday morning, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
Both lanes were shut down for hours near Dallas Boulevard. It happened around 10:30 a.m.
[ Photos: Fiery semi crash on Beachline ]
Troopers said the driver of the semi, which was hauling wooden doors, lost control and went off the road.
The truck hit a guardrail, overturned then caught fire.
The accident immediately caused a major traffic backup which continued into the night.
FHP was diverting all traffic from SR 528 onto Dallas Boulevard.
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Firefighters said the driver was transported to Orlando Regional Medical Center to be treated for minor injuries.
Alternate roads also got jammed during the evening rush hour.
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A man said he was trying to reach family members who sat in traffic so long, they were running out of gas.
“She’s called me twice about to run out of gas and she’s not able to stop up here,” said Claude Sturm.
Even after dark, crews were still busy cleaning up, using heavy equipment to pick up the doors that were scattered on the side of the highway.
Crews were at least able to open one eastbound lane for traffic, while they worked on the other.
The crash remains under investigation.