TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - A series of deadly crashes on Interstate 75 could trigger more than a dozen lawsuits against the state of Florida.
    
The Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles on Tuesday acknowledged that it has received 13 lawsuit notices from people who either were injured in the crashes or had family members killed.
    
Eleven people were killed and 18 hospitalized because of the crashes on a January night near Gainesville. The interstate was covered with smoke and fog.
    
A Florida Department of Law Enforcement report found the Florida Highway Patrol made mistakes in reopening the highway about 30 minutes before the crashes began.
    
The Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles plans to respond Friday to the FDLE report and release its own investigation of the crash.

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