The son of Pasco County Commissioner Ted Schrader survived Sunday's deadly multicar pileup on I-75 in Alachua County.
Theodore "Teddy" Schrader Jr., 21, was one of four men traveling in an Infiniti G35 about 3 miles outside of Gainesville in the predawn hours Sunday when they lost visibility due to the smoke and fog.
"From what Teddy told me, they were right on top of the semi before they knew it," the elder Schrader said. "Fortunately, the young man who was driving was very alert, and he reacted at the very last minute."
The driver of the car, James Buford Madison, 22, couldn't avoid striking the tractor trailer, but he was able to swerve off the interstate before a van following behind them crashed into the truck. Five of the six occupants of the van died in the crash.
Madison was treated for serious injuries – he required stitches to his head. Schrader and the other two passengers had minor injuries. All four were wearing seatbelts.
"For the most part, they all walked away," Schrader said. "They're very traumatized. It's going to take them awhile to move on from this."
A dozen cars, six tractor-trailers and a motorhome collided shortly before 4 a.m. Sunday after authorities reopened I-75. It had been closed for more than three hours because of poor visibility from fog and smoke from a fire.
The Infiniti was one of 10 vehicles that crashed in the three northbound lanes. Seven people died in the pileup.
Accidents in the southbound lanes claimed the lives of three more victims who have yet to be identified. A fire consumed at least four vehicles in the southbound lane, according to a Florida Highway Patrol report released Tuesday.
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