A survivor's story: I-4 disaster a year later

Friday, January 9, 2009

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Nancy Sadler survived the crashes on I-4 that took place one year ago.

POLK COUNTY (Bay News 9) -- It's been one year since a massive fog and smoke-induced traffic pile-up caused chaos in Polk County.

On the morning of Jan. 9, 2008, 70 vehicles collided on Interstate 4 after dense fog and smoke from a brushfire combined to all but erase visibility. The chain reaction accidents took place in a 14 mile stretch of I-4 near Polk City.

Car after car slammed into each other, killing five people, injuring more than 30 and causing intense fires that melted vehicles and damaged the roadway.

One of the survivors of the crashes, Nancy Sadler, told her story to Bay News 9. Watch her story

People involved in the crashes said they couldn't see what was happening; they could only hear the screeching of metal as multiple vehicles plowed into each other.

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"It was just crash after crash after crash," one eyewitness said.

Steve Webb of Webb's Towing had 20 vehicles working the crash site picking up mangled, burned out semis.

"Every time we go to pick something up it falls to pieces," Webb said.

The interstate had to be closed between the Polk Parkway and U.S. Highway 27. Repairs took a little more than 24 hours.

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