3 officers treated, 2 dead after hazmat situation on Florida's Turnpike
An accident and hazmat situation left the Florida Turnpike closed in both directions for several hours in Osceola County, the Florida Highway Patrol said. (Daniel Harris/Courtesy photo)
Christal Hayes Orlando Sentinel
Officers treated after exposed to substance inside SUV that left 2 dead on Turnpike in #OsceolaCounty
Two people are dead and three law-enforcement officers were hospitalized after being exposed to an "unknown substance" inside a vehicle on Florida's Turnpike Thursday, officials said.
The incident closed the Turnpike for about four hours and backed up traffic for miles as law-enforcement and hazmat crews investigated.
A Florida Highway Patrol trooper noticed a white SUV that had hit a guardrail near Mile Marker 224 about 3:15 p.m., the Osceola County Sheriff's Office said.
The trooper went inside the vehicle and found two people dead, Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Twis Lizasuain said.