DORAL, FLA. (WSVN) - A violent crash that shut down southbound lanes along the Palmetto Expressway in Doral for hours and caused traffic delays during the morning rush was a case of suicide, authorities said.
Friday morning’s wreck near the Northwest 36th Street exit sent another driver to the hospital and caused massive rush hour delays.
7 Drone Force captured first responders and both vehicles involved — a pickup truck and SUV with extensive damage — at around 8 a.m.
According to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, the the pickup truck crashed through a concrete barrier wall and ended up in the southbound lanes of the highway. Moments later, it slammed into the SUV.
At around 7 a.m., a rotator tow truck at the scene was seen trying to lift the pickup truck off the SUV.
Investigators said the driver of the pickup truck did not survive. Cameras captured the victim’s body covered with a yellow tarp just south of the truck.
Hours later, MDSO detectives said they recovered a firearmn at the scene and confirmed the motorist took their own life.
Paramedics with Miami-Dade Fire Rescue transported the driver of the SUV with injuries that were not life-threatening.
All southbound lanes remained closed between 36th and 58th streets for the entire morning, with traffic being diverted at 58th Street. The closure backed up traffic, stretching all the way to Interstate 75, before the highway was reopened to traffic at around 1 p.m.
Detectives with MDSO’s Traffic Homicide Unit said they will later release the identity of the pickup truck driver, as they continue to investigate.
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