FORT MYERS, Fla. -- A fatal crash in the southbound lanes of Interstate 75 in Fort Myers left one person dead and created major traffic backups Thursday morning.
The crash happened a little after 5 AM near mile marker 130, that's just past the Daniels Parkway exit, and involved two SUVs and a tractor-trailer truck.
According to Florida Highway Patrol, the SUVs were driving slowly in the outside lane when they were approached by the truck. The driver of the truck attempted to swerve around the SUVs but was unable to avoid them.
The truck hit the rear SUV and pushed it into the front one. The truck continued forward and also hit the front SUV.
The driver of the rear SUV, 48-year-old Mark Lucente, died at the scene.
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The driver of the front SUV suffered minor injuries and the truck driver was uninjured.
The cause of the crash is still under investigation, including the travel speeds of the SUVs at the time of the crash.
The southbound lanes of the interstate were blocked for about 6 hours during the investigation, forcing vehicle to drive around on the shoulder. All lanes are now open.
