Three people were killed — including a 5-year-old boy — and two more were injured late on Saturday night, October 31, when a car hit a parked tractor-trailer on northbound Interstate 95 in northern Martin County, Florida, the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) said. The crash, reported at around 11:05 p.m. at mile marker 112, closed every northbound lane of the interstate for roughly six hours, with traffic diverted off the highway until the lanes reopened after 5 a.m. on Sunday. The cause of the crash has not yet been determined, and the FHP investigation is continuing.
Source: WPBF 25 News, updated Nov. 1, 2026
How the crash happened
According to the FHP account reported by both outlets, a Toyota Camry — CBS12 identifies it as a 2017 model — was travelling north in the outside lane of I-95 when, for a reason investigators have not yet determined, it moved onto the right paved shoulder at mile marker 112. A 2012 Kenworth tractor-trailer with a 53-foot trailer was parked on that shoulder. The Camry's front right struck the trailer's rear left, according to WPBF, and the car then rotated across all three northbound lanes before coming to rest on the left paved shoulder.
Source: WPEC CBS12, Nov. 1, 2026
The people in the two vehicles
All three people who died were passengers in the Camry: a 34-year-old man and a 5-year-old boy, both from Port St. Lucie, and a woman whose age and identity have not yet been released — CBS12 reports, citing FHP, that all three were from Port St. Lucie. No names have been released. The Camry's driver, a 31-year-old woman from Port St. Lucie, suffered non-incapacitating injuries and was taken by ground to St. Mary's Medical Center in West Palm Beach; an 11-year-old girl in the car suffered incapacitating injuries and was flown to the same hospital by LifeStar helicopter. The tractor-trailer driver, a 60-year-old man from Miami, was not injured. Neither outlet gives the 11-year-old girl's home city.
A six-hour closure on a major freight corridor
All northbound lanes at mile marker 112 were closed, and WPBF reports that traffic was diverted off the highway at SW Martin Highway. The lanes reopened after 5 a.m. on Sunday — roughly six hours after the crash. I-95 is one of the East Coast's main north–south arteries and a heavily used freight route through Florida's Treasure Coast, so a full overnight closure on a Saturday night pushes long-distance and truck traffic onto local roads. Both outlets describe the closure as a full shutdown of the northbound carriageway, not a partial lane closure.
A vehicle stopped on the hard shoulder sits inches from traffic moving at highway speed. Florida's Move Over law requires drivers approaching a stopped vehicle on the roadside to move over a lane when it is safe, or slow down if they cannot — a rule written for exactly this kind of encounter. The FHP has not said why the Camry left its lane, and the reports do not say whether the parked truck was displaying hazard lights or other warnings.
Who responded, and what is still unknown
The Florida Highway Patrol released the detailed account on Sunday morning and is leading the investigation. WPBF reports that Martin County Fire Rescue and the Martin County Sheriff's Office also responded to the scene. No direct quotation from any official appears in either report — the information is paraphrased from the FHP report. What remains unknown: why the Camry moved onto the shoulder, the identity and age of the woman who died, and whether any charges will follow. Neither outlet reports any arrest or charge connected with the crash.
What is solid
- Crash at around 11:05 p.m., Oct. 31, on northbound I-95 at mile marker 112, Martin County
- Camry struck the rear of a parked Kenworth tractor-trailer's 53-foot trailer, then crossed all three lanes
- 3 Camry passengers dead (34-year-old man, 5-year-old boy, and a woman); 2 injured (31-year-old driver, non-incapacitating; 11-year-old girl, incapacitating)
- Both injured people taken to St. Mary's Medical Center, West Palm Beach — driver by ground, child by LifeStar helicopter
- Tractor-trailer driver, 60, from Miami, uninjured; northbound lanes closed, diverted at SW Martin Highway, reopened after 5 a.m. Sunday; FHP investigating
What is only claimed
- Why the Camry left its lane — undetermined, per FHP
- Whether the woman who died was from Port St. Lucie — CBS12 says yes per FHP; WPBF describes her as unidentified with no city given
- The exact reopening minute — only 'after 5 a.m.' is stated
- A map graphic in CBS12's gallery labels the spot MM113, Palm City — one mile from the MM112 in both articles' bodies
What happens next
The road has been open since Sunday morning, so there is no ongoing closure for drivers. The FHP investigation continues, and the next updates are expected to be the release of the remaining identities and the FHP's findings on why the Camry left its lane. Awaaz Punjab will update this story when the FHP releases further information.