1 dead, 6 injured in 9-car pile-up on I-65

Published 7:26 pm Thursday, April 2, 2015

This was as close to the crash scene as we could get as an ambulance transferred one of the injured in Friday's I-65 crash at Flomaton.

This was as close to the crash scene as we could get as an ambulance transferred one of the injured in Friday’s I-65 crash at Flomaton.

At least one person is confirmed dead and six injured in an nine-vehicle pile up on Interstate 65, at Flomaton.

Currently, traffic is at a halt on both lanes as emergency crews work the scene following the accident, which occurred just before 5 p.m. Thursday.

Alabama State Troopers, Escambia County Sheriff’s deputies, Flomaton Police and others are near the 69 mile marker.

Initial reports indicate that at least one of the vehicles involved was an 18-wheeler and multiple other vehicles that caught on fire. There were reports of entrapment as emergency personnel were dispatched from Brewton, Flomaton, Century, Fla., and all parts in between.

Chief Deputy Mike Lambert said six people were transported from the scene to various hospitals, while three were air lifted.

“It was a mixture of passenger cars and a loaded 18-wheeler,” Lambert said. “Luckily, nothing was hazardous in the cargo.”

Drivers are advised to use caution traveling through the area and to use alternative routes if possible.

For those currently sitting in the southbound I-65 lane, one should get off at the Flomaton/Wallace exit or the Brewton/Repton exit.

Lambert said the northbound lane of I-65 will be shutdown indefinitely.

Trooper PIO Jamie Maloy is en route to the scene and said additional details will be made public as soon as possible.