A 26-year-old Fort Pierce woman driving the wrong way on Florida\u2019s Turnpike in Indian River County died in a three-vehicle crash, according to Florida Highway Patrol officials on May 12.<\/p>\n
The crash occurred just after 10 p.m. May 9 when a 2025 white Kia K4 sedan was traveling south in the inside northbound lane at mile marker 173.5 about 10 miles south of the Fort Drum Service Plaza, according to officials.<\/p>\n
The front left corner of the sedan hit the front left corner of a 2023 black Chrysler Pacifica van traveling north in the inside lane, according to officials. The sedan was redirected into the center grass median and came to a rest facing south.<\/p>\n
The van was redirected into the outside lane and began to rotate, hitting the left side of a 2017 gray GMC Canyon truck traveling north in the outside lane directly to the right of the van, according to officials.<\/p>\n
The van continued to rotate until it came to a rest in the inside lane facing north, according to officials. The truck was able to stop on the outside paved shoulder, just west of the van.<\/p>\n
St. Lucie County: Vehicle falls off side of I-95 overpass, 3 people injured<\/a><\/p>\n Weather: Expect more rainfall, localized heavy amounts, possible small hail<\/a><\/p>\n The 26-year-old Fort Pierce woman driving the car was pronounced dead at the scene by St. Lucie County Fire Rescue crews, according to officials. One passenger, a 5-year-old boy, sustained non-life-threatening injuries while another, a 3-year-old boy, suffered life-threatening injuries.<\/p>\n The van\u2019s driver, a 22-year-old man from Margate, sustained non-life-threatening injuries, as well as its three passengers from Royal Palm Beach: a 24-year-old woman, a 50-year-old woman and a 74-year-old woman.<\/p>\n A passenger in the truck, a 46-year-old woman from Mount Dora, suffered minor injuries while the truck\u2019s driver, a 48-year-old man, and another passenger, a 23-year-old man, also both from Mount Dora, weren\u2019t injured.<\/p>\n April 2026 in photos: Artemis II, Easter, weather, high school sports<\/p>\n 1 of 40<\/p>\n Artemis II launches from pad 39B at NASA\u2019S Kennedy Space Center, April 1, 2026, seen from Vero Beach. Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, and mission specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen\u00a0launched on the\u00a0spacecraft atop NASA\u2019s\u00a0SLS (Space Launch System) rocket, taking the Orion spacecraft on a 10-day test flight\u00a0around the moon.<\/p>\n Anyone who was injured was taken to HCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital in Fort Pierce, according to officials.<\/p>\n The roadway closed after the crash and didn\u2019t reopen until 6:15 a.m. May 10. No further information was available as the crash remained under investigation.<\/p>\n Laurie K. Blandford<\/a>\u00a0is a\u00a0breaking news reporter\u00a0with TCPalm. Email her at\u00a0laurie.blandford@tcpalm.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n