Hillsborough County Fire Rescue (HCFR) responded to an 18-wheeler in the Tampa Bypass Canal. The incident occurred at approximately 2:35 a.m. on Monday, August 5, 2024.
According to HCFR, an 18-wheeler that went into the Tampa Bypass Canal. The 18-wheeler was traveling southbound on I-75 near MM 263, lost control, and went off the road.
The tractor-trailer driver was traveling southbound on I-75 near the 263 Milepost when the 64-year-old New Albany, Mississippi man lost control on the wet roadway. 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. Divers from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office located the cab submerged approximately 14 feet below the surface with the deceased driver inside the vehicle. The crash closed the southbound lanes of I-75 at Fowler Avenue until 9:30 AM.