Update: UF spokesperson Cynthia Roldán confirmed Thursday afternoon the message’s purpose was to notify Shands employees that the hospital’s mass casualty plan was being activated.
The message correctly identified the situation as a mass casualty incident. The term refers to a surge in patients that overwhelms local medical resources but does not necessarily indicate fatalities.
Several people suffered serious or critical injuries in the crash, which occurred off campus, Roldán wrote in an email.
The alert was issued through UF Alert-Shands, which serves the UF Shands Hospital and is separate from the campus-specific UF Alert-Gainesville.
“Unfortunately, the lack of detail in the messages created confusion,” Roldán wrote. “As shared through our flagship social media channels, there was never a threat to public safety on campus. The university is in the process of reviewing the language in the messages to avoid raising alarm in the future.”
Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to a traffic crash on the 4900 block of US Highway 441 near Micanopy around 12:45 p.m. Thursday.
The crash was originally reported as a mass casualty event, and a UF public safety alert stated it was “not a drill,” sparking confusion on campus. But ACSO spokesperson Lisa Sacaccio said it was a “mishit” of a button and there was no mass casualty event.
There are injuries related to the crash, and the southbound lane of US Highway 441 is blocked just south of Tuscawilla Road, according to an ASCO Facebook post.
The crash was originally reported at 12:34, with deputies dispatched at 12:38 p.m., according to live traffic reports published by the Florida Highway Patrol.
Sacaccio said the crash was handed over to Florida Highway Patrol, and the office isn’t releasing any additional information related to the crash at this time, including the number injured and the severity.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Contact Alexa Ryan at aryan@alligator.org. Follow her on X @AlexaRyan_.
Alexa is a second-year journalism and international studies student and The Alligator's Spring 2026 Enterprise Politics Reporter. She previously served as the Fall 2025 Criminal Justice Reporter. In her free time, she enjoys running, traveling and going on random side quests.
