Semi Driver Dies After Fiery Crash Off I-95 in Palm Coast—witnesses Say Truck Veered Off Road

A semi-trailer truck driver was killed in a horrific incident on I-95 at the Palm Coast Parkway exit in the middle of the afternoon on Monday. Nobody else was involved.

According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the trucker was heading south in the outermost of the three lanes when, according to witnesses, he “gradually veered off the roadway onto the west grass shoulder,” and continued southwesterly into the woods. The truck collided with a tree and exploded into flames, immediately becoming entirely engulfed.

The crash was reported at 4:01 p.m. The Palm Coast Fire Department dispatched three engines and a tender truck, among other resources, including Flagler County Fire Rescue.

Gary Potter of the Palm Coast Fire Department served as the battalion chief at the scene. We were initially alerted to a semi trailer in the woods, then the call was upgraded to the cab being on fire,” Potter explained. It was completely involved when firefighters arrived. According to 911 dispatch logs, numerous trucks and others had already stopped to assist.

Nonetheless, firemen went into rescue mode, employing a strategy commonly used in such situations: “We put the hoseline at a wide fog on the nozzle,” Potter explained. “That shelters us almost like a curtain. It puts oxygen behind us and pushes the flames away, allowing us to work directly behind the hose line.”

The firefighters gained access to the cab’s interior. The crew was able to open the door using extrication tools and attempted to get the driver out while shielded from flames all around. “He was pinned inside by one of the seats. We tried to get him out. We couldn’t. “He was already dead at that point,” Potter explained.

The driver was pronounced dead at 4:19 p.m. The fire was deemed under control at 4:23 p.m. and completely doused at 4:32, according to dispatch notes.

“At a scene like that, you’re not sure what you’re in,” Palm Coast Fire Chief Kyle Berryhill said. “You assume you’re in rescue mode, but the second we made access to the victim based on the fire, we knew we were in recovery mode.”

Within minutes, firefighters controlled and doused the fire with foam and water before handing over the site to FHP. The truck spilled a significant amount of diesel, but none on the road. The cleanup was the responsibility of the trucking company’s contractor, though the Division of Environmental Protection also arrived on the scene. The trailer was empty, Potter stated.

FHP’s release did not identify the driver, as is customary, but it did not divulge the driver’s age or whether next-of-kin notification had been made, implying that his identity had not yet been confirmed.

Traffic on Interstate 95 was never completely halted. Travel was originally confined to one lane, then expanded to two before the route reopened to regular traffic.

The incident was the fifth fatality on Flagler County roads this year, with all of them occurring within the last ten days. Two of the victims were motorcyclists involved in separate events at the start and end of Bike Week.

Reference: Semi-Trailer Truck Driver Killed in Fiery Crash on I-95 Near Palm Coast Parkway