GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Gov. Rick Scott is ordering an investigation into the Florida Highway Patrol's decision to reopen an interstate highway shortly before a pair of pileups happened that killed 10 people.
Scott on Monday ordered the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to investigate the FHP's decision and any other circumstances that led up to Sunday's crashes on Interstate 75 outside of Gainesville.
The FHP had closed the road for more than three hours early Sunday after heavy smoke from a nearby brushfire and fog combined to make the highway impassable. Fifteen minutes after the highway reopened, the pileups happened, with survivors reporting smoke and fog so thick they couldn't see.
The FHP earlier defended its decision, saying the visibility was clear enough but deteriorated rapidly.
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