Florida Highway Patrol confirmed that the driver died when he was ejected from a grey Dodge coupe at 1:45pm local time on the southbound off-ramp of the Florida Turnpike that leads to Northwest 199th Street.
His car slammed into a wall of the bridge and then appeared to have somersaulted over the barrier and off the flyover, ploughing down multiple palm trees, before landing on the F1 track below.
The deceased was flung out of the car while on the bridge before the car tumbled and landed upside down on the exit of Turn 16 of the racetrack. He was pronounced dead at the scene by the Fire Rescue crew.
BREAKING: A car crash on the Florida Turnpike near the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens left one man dead, authorities said. https://t.co/TEmdlqNDri
— WSVN 7 News (@wsvn) January 18, 2024
This section of the circuit, which was built for the inaugural Miami GP in 2022, features permanent barriers and debris fencing as it is one of the most remote points away from the Hard Rock Stadium itself – which is home to the Miami Dolphins NFL team.
Although the multi-lane Turnpike highway, which leads from Miami towards Daytona and Orlando to the north, is open throughout the F1 weekend, the off ramps are closed to traffic during all track activity.
Investigators are now determining why the crash occurred.
