Two Dead, Road Shut After Early-Morning Three-Vehicle Crash on Card Sound Road

Two men were killed early Thursday in a three-vehicle crash on Card Sound Road about eight miles south of U.S. 1, Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office deputies said after responding at around 5:15 a.m. Paramedics pronounced two men dead at the scene; the identities of the victims have not yet been released.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue reported multiple injured patients on scene and said, “There were six total patients including one who was a trauma alert.” NBC6 and WSVN said one man was rushed to a hospital in critical condition, and Keysweekly reported that one adult trauma alert patient was airlifted to the Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson South Hospital in Miami.

WSVN’s aerial coverage captured the wreckage: “7Skyforce hovered above the vehicles involved, including a black sedan with the front destroyed and a pickup truck that came to rest on the side of the road.” Officials described the collision as involving three vehicles on Card Sound Road, a two-lane highway on the Miami-Dade side that serves as an alternate route to the 18-Mile Stretch into the Florida Keys.

Authorities closed Card Sound Road in both directions from U.S. 1 to the Monroe County line, forcing U.S. 1 to remain the only route in and out of the Keys for much of the day. The shutdown “temporarily left U.S. 1 as the only route in and out of the Florida Keys, causing significant travel disruptions,” officials and local coverage said, with motorists reporting congestion along the 18-Mile Stretch while emergency crews worked the scene.

After hours of investigation and scene clearance, the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office announced both lanes of Card Sound Road were reopened to traffic just after 3:30 p.m. Keysweekly cited the MDSO in reporting the afternoon reopening; earlier afternoon bulletins had indicated the roadway remained closed while detectives continued work.

Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office Traffic Homicide detectives have taken over the probe, and “The cause of the crash is under investigation,” authorities said. No arrests, citations, or determinations of impairment have been reported, and officials have not released the names or ages of the deceased or detailed hospital destinations beyond the airlift to Ryder Trauma Center.

The crash and prolonged closure underscore the Keys’ reliance on two main corridors - Card Sound Road and U.S. 1 - for access to emergency care and routine travel. The airlift to Jackson South’s Ryder Trauma Center and the six patients reported by Miami-Dade Fire Rescue highlight the trauma-care demands when a major alternate route is suddenly unavailable. Miami-Dade investigators continue to examine crash dynamics and patient outcomes; updates are expected as the Traffic Homicide unit releases further findings.