If you were trying to get anywhere on the East Coast this morning, you probably spent more time looking at brake lights than the actual road. It’s been a rough Sunday. Between the usual weekend travelers and some genuinely scary incidents, the i 95 crash today has turned several stretches of the interstate into parking lots.
Specifically, in Brevard County, Florida, things got chaotic.
Imagine you’re a deputy or a state trooper. You’re already on the side of the road, blue and red lights flashing, trying to handle one mess. Then, out of nowhere, another car sideswipes your patrol vehicle. That is exactly what happened near Melbourne. A Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) trooper and Brevard County deputies were investigating a previous hit-and-run when a civilian vehicle—a blue Kia—lost control and slammed into the parked law enforcement cars.
Honestly, it’s a miracle nobody was killed.
The Mess in Brevard County and Maryland
The Florida Highway Patrol reported that the crash happened near mile marker 185. The left lane was already blocked for the first investigation. Then the Kia hit the back of a sheriff's patrol car, which then shoved that car into the FHP cruiser. One trooper was actually inside their car when it happened. They were rushed to Holmes Regional Medical Center with minor injuries, while the driver of the Kia is facing much more serious injuries.
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Further north, Maryland hasn't been much better.
Around 3:42 PM, another i 95 crash today was reported in Harford County, specifically south of Exit 74 near Mountain Road. We’re talking about a multi-vehicle collision that shut down shoulders and squeezed traffic into a single lane. If you’ve ever driven that stretch near Bel Air, you know it doesn’t take much to cause a five-mile backup.
People are frustrated. You can see it in the way they’re driving.
Why this keeps happening
Traffic experts often point to "rubbernecking," but today feels different. There’s a mix of heavy congestion and, frankly, people just not paying attention to move-over laws. In the Florida incident, the patrol cars were stationary with emergency lights on.
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It wasn't a visibility issue. It was a "get out of the way" issue.
- Distracted Driving: Even with flashing lights, drivers are still looking at phones.
- Move Over Laws: Many people forget they are legally required to shift lanes when emergency vehicles are on the shoulder.
- Speeding: On a Sunday, people are rushing to get home before the work week starts, leading to tailgating.
Roadwork and the "Long-Term" Headache
It isn't just the sudden wrecks making life difficult. If you’re traveling through Virginia or Connecticut, the i 95 crash today might actually be a side effect of the massive construction zones. In Stafford County, Virginia, bridge rehabilitation has closed two left lanes between Exit 133 and Exit 136.
When lanes drop from four to two, people panic. They merge late. They clip bumpers.
In Providence, Rhode Island, the Exit 22 ramp is closed for pavement reconstruction. It's a mess. You’ve got drivers who haven't been through the area in months suddenly realizing their exit is gone, leading to last-second swerves that cause—you guessed it—more accidents.
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Real-time status by region
- Florida: Lanes have mostly reopened near Melbourne, but investigators are still on the scene of the patrol car wreck. Expect "looky-loo" delays.
- Maryland: The Harford County crash is still being cleared. The Maryland Transportation Authority is warning of significant residual delays heading south toward Baltimore.
- Virginia: No major new wrecks in the last hour, but the Fredericksburg bottleneck is holding steady at a 20-minute delay.
What you should do right now
Check your GPS. Seriously. Don't just trust that "I know the way." Waze or Google Maps will catch these pops-up accidents faster than the local radio will.
If you are approaching an area where you see emergency lights, move over. It’s not just a suggestion; it’s the law in almost every state along the I-95 corridor. The deputies in Brevard County are lucky to be heading home to their families tonight. The driver of that Kia might not be so lucky.
Avoid the left lane if you see construction signs ahead. Most of the accidents reported in the last six hours happened because of improper merging in high-speed zones. If you can, take a secondary route like US-1 for a few miles to bypass the heaviest clusters in Maryland and Florida.
Stay alert. The road is unforgiving today.
Practical Steps for I-95 Travelers:
- Check the "CHART" system if you're in Maryland for live camera feeds.
- Slow down to 45 mph (or lower) when passing any vehicle on the shoulder with hazards on.
- Verify your exit before you get within two miles, especially in Rhode Island and Connecticut where construction has shifted the traffic patterns.
- Keep a 3-second following distance. With the stop-and-go nature of today's traffic, rear-end collisions are the most common cause of secondary "rubberneck" accidents.
Traffic is expected to remain heavy until at least 9:00 PM tonight as the Sunday evening rush winds down. Plan for at least an extra 45 minutes of travel time if you are crossing state lines.