A Ford pick-up driven by a 23-year-old woman from California--who police are not yet naming--was going the wrong way in the express lanes of the highway when the crash occurred around 12:48 a.m.
Four other vehicles, three of which were driving north in the express lanes, were involved in the crash. All of the occupants of one of those cars was killed, as was the driver of the car that caused the crash.
The front part of the suspect car hit the right back side of the second car, which caused car 2 to collide with the center concrete median. The suspect car then collided head-on with the third vehicle, in which the driver and all the passengers died.
After hitting car 3 the suspect car rotated counterclockwise and overturned on its right side before coming to a stop in the north direction. The fourth involved vehicle then rear-ended car 3, causing car 3 to rotate clockwise. Car 3 came to a stop facing south.
Car 4 then moved into the general purpose lanes--from the express section--and collided with the fifth vehicle. The front of car 4 and left side of car 5 crashed. Car 4 came to a stop facing east, while car 5 came to a stop facing north on the right shoulder.
The driver of car 2 had minor injuries.
The occupants of car 3, all of whom died, included the driver, Miguel Gil, 47, of Cooper City, Florida; Jose Martin Labrador, 52, of Bridgeport, Connecticut; Gisela Gil Egui, 48, of Bridgeport, Connecticut; and Gisela Margarita Egui Hernandez, 71, of Venezuela.
The driver of car 4 had a minor injury, and the driver of car 5 wasn't hurt.
The cause of the crash is pending, as is if the driver of the suspect vehicle was under the influence of alcohol.