Injuries reported in early crash on Key Largo bridge near Ocean Reef

Florida Highway Patrol reported a vehicle crash with injuries on the Ocean Reef Dr bridge at Anchor Dr in Key Largo early Sunday morning, but did not give the extent of the injuries or say what caused the wreck.

The crash landed in one of the most sensitive traffic corridors in the Upper Keys. Card Sound Road is one of only two roadways connecting the Florida Keys to the mainland, and Monroe County says the Card Sound Bridge is a high-level structure in north Key Largo that serves commuters and doubles as an evacuation route for residents from the entire Keys during hurricanes.

That same corridor is already under bridge work. Monroe County records show Tubby’s Creek Bridge on Card Sound Road, built in 1969, was scheduled for replacement starting Feb. 9, 2026. County notices say traffic through the area has been restricted to one lane with alternating traffic signals to keep vehicles moving to and from Ocean Reef.

Monroe County says it maintains 27 county bridges and about 312 miles of county roads and rights-of-way, a network that becomes especially important when traffic backs up near Key Largo, North Key Largo and the Ocean Reef community.

The new crash also comes after another serious incident on the same stretch of roadway. On Oct. 30, 2024, a 44-foot luxury catamaran-style boat struck a piling near the Card Sound Road Bridge in Key Largo, injuring several passengers. Authorities said seven people were on board, one person was airlifted and two others were taken to the hospital by ground. The road was closed until 10:18 p.m. after the crash began around 8:30 p.m.

Investigators later said preliminary findings pointed to excessive speed, given the darkness, wind and rain, as possible contributing factors in that 2024 wreck. A separate 2022 Ocean Reef-area boat crash near Key Largo was later tied to the death of teenager Luciana “Lucy” Fernandez and severe injuries to others, putting renewed scrutiny on how marine crashes in the area are investigated.

For drivers headed toward Ocean Reef, North Key Largo and the Card Sound bridge corridor, the combination of active work zones, a narrow bridge network and repeated serious crashes has made this approach one of the most closely watched traffic points in Monroe County.