The driver said when he looked up, traffic was stopped, according to FHP troopers.

TAMPA – A driver distracted by spilled coffee caused a five-vehicle crash this morning (May 7) on southbound I-75 that injured two and snarled traffic for several hours, the Florida Highway Patrol said.

One driver was taken to Tampa General Hospital with serious injuries. Another complained of minor injuries but was not taken to a hospital.

Troopers said a contributing cause to the crash was careless driving by Robert Louis Fread, Jr., 41, of Land O’ Lakes, who failed to see stopped traffic ahead of him.

The crash happened about 10:36 a.m.on southbound on I-75 (State Road 93A) at the 263 milepost, which is about halfway between Fowler Avenue and I-4 in Tampa.

Fread was driving a Chevrolet Express van south on I-75 in the outside lane when he spilled coffee inside of his vehicle. Fread told troopers that, when he looked up, traffic ahead was at a complete stop.

Fread tried to go into the center lane to avoid an Isuzu flatbed truck, but the Chevy hit the Isuzu.The Chevy continued into the center lane and was hit by a Chevrolet Camaro. The Chevy van continued south in both the center and outside lanes and hit a Hyundai Elantra. Troopers said the van kept going south and hit a Dodge Durango before coming to a rest in both the center and outside lanes.

The initial crash closed all southbound lanes of I-75. As of 12:30 p.m., the inside lane was open. The rest of the road was expected to remain closed for an hour or more while officials cleared up a large number of nails and screws that spilled from the Chevy van when it crashed.

Photos courtesy of the Florida Highway Patrol.

Florida Highway Patrol | I-75 Crash | Tampabay News

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