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Highway accident at central Florida today where poor visibility on interstate 4 triggered a deadly chain/ reaction. It happened near Lakeland, Florida. Multiple crashes there left 4 people dead, dozens injured. Late report tonight from NBC's Mark Potter.
At first light the massive crash scene was still hidden by a thick blanket of smoke and fog. For two miles, on interstate 4, 70 trucks and cars were tangled together, many on fire in 10 seperate accidents. Drivers told / of suddenly being unable to see anything on the road as cars and semis slammed into each other.
They just come on down the highway when all of a sudden to smoke. Nothing, you just run into somebody, breaks all. This has completely gone.
Rescue workers went / car to car to find the dead and injured. The first deputy on the scene told the Sheriff it was awful.
He said sheriff I did all I could do. He said but, I watched the man burn at the, burn to death today. And he said and I heard other screaming and hollering and crying.
Investigators are now looking into whether a smoke from a prescribed burn of underbrush by state officials that roared out of control yesterday may have contributed to the blinding road conditions. The Florida highway patrol was warned yesterday: there might be visibility problems caused by smoke mixing with fog and put out warning signs, but says its officers never saw any conditions before the accidents that would have warned it closing a highway.
Mark Potter, NBC news Miami.
Underbrush consists of bushes and plants growing close together under trees in a forest. (AM; in BRIT, use undergrowth)