DELRAY BEACH, Fla. — A fiery and deadly crash Tuesday morning shut down all southbound lanes of Interstate 95 in Delray Beach.
The Florida Highway Patrol said a SUV, driven by a 32-year-old Lake Worth man, was stopped for an unknown reason in the right southbound lane, just south of Linton Boulevard, around 5:15 a.m.
A tractor-trailer, driven by a 49-year-old Lake Worth man, wasn't able to go around the SUV and rear-ended the vehicle, causing it to burst into flames.
According to the FHP, the 32-year-old driver died at the scene, while the tractor-trailer's driver suffered minor injuries.
Exclusive video from WPTV Chopper 5 showed a yellow tarp covering the charred vehicle on the side of I-95.
At one point Tuesday morning, traffic was backed up for miles all the way to the Hypoluxo Road exit.
WATCH: Chopper 5 video of deadly I-95 crash
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"I see that there's helicopters flying around and the whole 95 was shut down," said Baldwin Laura, a delivery driver who was stuck for hours and ended up getting a late start on his route. "It was brutal. I usually take a 30-minute commute on the morning and it became three hours. That’s a lot of time to be sitting on the car."
In the midst of the backup, a second incident happened southbound involving at least three cars, which added to the delays.
"I put my GPS to see if I could get an ETA and the time just kept on jumping. It never changed. It’s like 30 minutes, 30 minutes," Laura said.
This crash remains under investigation and the names of the drivers have not been released.
