A truck driver went over the concrete wall of I-75 and into the Tampa Bypass Canal in the wee hours of Monday morning. He eventually died when his cab became submerged under the storm waters of Hurricane Debby.
The driver, a 64-year-old New Albany, Mississippi, man, was driving south on I-75 near Milepost 263 when he "lost control on the wet roadway," according to Florida Highway Patrol. "The vehicle rotated, collided with a concrete barrier wall along the outside shoulder and traveled over the wall. The trailer came to rest hanging from the bridge while the cab separated and fell into the Tampa Bypass Canal."
Local fire department Hillsborough County Fire and Rescue responded to the truck "teetering" over the wall, attempting to recover it. Unfortunately, it took place during warnings of storm waters swelling, which turned out to be all too true.
This picture from the scene shows the truck dangling from the causeway.
Shortly after the crash, the water rose up, flooding the cab of the heavily damaged truck.
Eventually, divers from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office "located the cab submerged approximately 40 feet below the surface with the deceased driver inside the vehicle."
The initial crash happened around 2:30 a.m., and SB lanes of I-75 at Fowler Avenue finally reopened at 9:30 a.m.
This marks the second major tractor-trailer crash incident Monday, with a four-truck crash shutting down I-80 in Iowa for hours.
[Related: Slow-moving superload moving across I-80]
