At least 19 cars were involved in collisions in the morning hours of Sunday, January 29, 2012 on Interstate 75 near Gainesville, Florida.

A fire that was started on the side of the highway blew thick smoke into the direction of the drivers, northbound as well as southbound. Officials believe that this fire was started intentionally and may begin investigating this accident as a criminal one. Cars were unable to see and began crashing into one another.

Rescue workers that arrived on the scene were only able to locate individuals by the noises they were making. People are describing the entire scene as chaotic. There were 11 people who lost their lives in the crashes and an additional 18 people who suffered varying degrees of injuries.

If you have been injured in a car accident, please contact the Newark auto accident lawyers of Levinson Axelrod, P.A. by calling 800-346-5529 today.