Debris and charred vehicles blocked the southbound lanes of Interstate 75 Thursday night after a fiery crash earlier in the day left five children and two semi-truck drivers dead and eight others seriously injured.

The Florida Highway Patrol has identified the 16 people who were involved in a fiery crash on Interstate 75 on Thursday afternoon that killed five children in a van headed for Disney World in Orlando and two semi-truck drivers.

Debris and charred vehicles blocked the southbound lanes of Interstate 75 on Thursday night after a fiery crash earlier in the day left five children and two semi-truck drivers dead and eight others seriously or critically injured.

Those who died in the crash were:

  • Steve Holland, 59, West Palm Beach;
  • Douglas Bolkema, 49, Albuquerque, N.M.;
  • Joel Cloud, 14, Marksville, La.;
  • Jeremiah Warren, 14, Marksville, La.;
  • Cierra Bordelan, 9, Marksville, La.;
  • Cara Descant, 13, Marksville, La.; and
  • Brieana Descant, 10, Marksville, La.

Eight of the nine people who survived the crash suffered serious or critical injuries. Those included:

  • Robyn Rattray, 41, Gainesville (UF Health Shands Hospital);
  • Amy Joffrion, 45, Mansura, La. (North Florida Regional Medical Center);
  • Ali Laborde, 30, Marksville, La. (North Florida Regional Medical Center);
  • Karen Descant, 50, Marksville, La., (UF Health Shands Hospital);
  • Noah Joffrion, 14, Mansura, La. (UF Health Shands Hospital);
  • Chelsea Laborde, 11, Marksville, La. (UF Health Shands Hospital);
  • Trinity Woodward, 9, Hessmer, La. (UF Health Shands Hospital); and
  • Chance Bernard, 9, Hessmer, La. (UF Health Shands Hospital)
Fire consumes two semi-trucks, a passenger van and a sedan after a crash on Interstate 75 on Thursday afternoon.

The crash took place about 3:40 p.m. at Mile Marker 394 when a 2018 semi driven by Holland veered to the left in front of Rattray’s 2007 Honda. Both of the northbound vehicles then crashed through the center median into the southbound lanes and Holland’s semi slammed into a 2006 Chevy van that was being driven by Amy Joffrion.

The van, carrying three adults and nine children and headed to Disney World, overturned multiple times and ejected several passengers, a Florida Highway Patrol report states. Holland’s semi then struck another tractor-trailer driven by Bolkema and both semis and Rattray’s Honda erupted in flames.

The Florida Highway Patrol is still investigating the fiery fatal crash on Interstate 75 that involved two semi-trucks, a van carrying 12 passengers on the way to Disney World, a sedan and a pickup truck.

Seconds later, a 2006 Chevy pickup driven by 61-year-old Mark Houghtaling, of Gainesville, drove through the crash as it was happening and struck at least one of the victims who had been ejected from the van, the report says, adding that Houghtaling wasn’t injured.

All northbound lanes of the interstate have reopened but some southbound lanes were damaged in the crash and remain closed. And the crash remains under investigation.