One SB lane has opened on I-75 on Friday morning after the Thursday crash that left seven people, including children, dead and several others injured.
Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) is expected to brief the media at 10 a.m. on Friday. Watch LIVE by clicking the link below.
"All northbound lanes are open. There is one southbound lane open. The center and outside southbound lanes remain closed" said Sergeant Tomas Dillon with the FHP.
"Motorists are urged to use caution while in the area."
All SB lanes of the highway were closed for over 12 hours while troopers with the FHP conducted their investigation.
Troopers say that at 3:42 p.m. two tractor-trailers collided with a mid-size sedan and a van carrying children southbound on I-75, just north of the 39th Avenue exit in Gainesville.
One vehicle swerved through a guardrail and into northbound traffic.
The Alachua County Fire Rescue (ACFR) said the vehicles caught fire after 50 gallons of diesel fuel spilled during the incident.
It was like, 'Oh my God!' And then you could just see black smoke just billowing up, and it was just like bodies -- everything -- was everywhere," a witness, Garrett Miller, said. "It was burning so hot, you could feel the heat. We were on the far right lane burning from it."
The Alachua County Sheriff's Office said it received calls from family members out of state saying a van heading to Disney World with their loved ones was involved in the crash. Officials have confirmed only one van was involved in the collision.
In response to the crash, UF Health activated its emergency response mass casualty plan at 4:25 p.m.
Six people were taken to UF Health while two people were taken to North Florida Regional Hospital. The victims' conditions range from stable to critical.
"Some of these people are from out of state," said FHP during a media briefing, "so I don't know if we've got anybody that's locally involved."
Northbound lanes were shut down for several hours after the crash. The southbound lanes of I-75 remain shut down for several miles just outside of Gainesville, according to FDOT.
Drivers were asked to avoid the area if traveling southbound. FHP said a homicide investigation is pending.
