Boca Raton, FL : Apparent chain-reaction crash sparks fire on I-95 in Boca Raton on Monday, October 20, 2014

An apparent chain-reaction crash on Interstate 95 that sparked a fire in Boca Raton closed the highway in both directions for several hours Monday. The crash occurred in the southbound lanes just south of Glades Road. Troopers said a vehicle, believed to be a tractor trailer, that was traveling south on I-95 attempted to change lanes and struck the left side of a 1998 Honda Accord, driven by Eartha Allison Smith, 36, causing her to lose control and be struck by a 2004 Ford SUV, driven by Sabrina Marie Wilcox, 33. Smith was then sent off the road, traveled through a fence and struck a power pole, causing the pole to break in half. The power lines hung over the north and southbound lanes of the interstate and a fire was started. Boca Raton firefighters arrived to find Smith's car fully engulfed in flames. However, Smith escaped and was taken to a hospital. Firefighters kept the fire from spreading to the nearby railroad tracks. Troopers said the driver of the tractor-trailer may have kept going because the person was unaware of the crash. Traffic was backed up for several miles in both directions as a result. Northbound traffic was diverted at Palmetto Park Road and southbound traffic was diverted at Glades Road. I-95 was closed for hours while Florida Power & Light secured the high-voltage power lines downed in the crash. All lanes eventually reopened by about 5:30 p.m. Frustrated drivers could be seen exiting I-95 by driving over the grassy embankments on the side of the highway. Source : Apparent chain-reaction crash sparks fire on I-95 in Boca Raton