Multiple agencies responded to reports of a vehicle that crashed into the mangroves along I-275 in St. Petersburg.
The crash occurred at approximately 12:30 p.m. in the southbound lanes of I-275 north of the Dick Meisner Bridge.
Troopers from the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) reports that a 25-year-old man from St. Petersburg was driving a white Tesla Model 3 sedan southbound on I-275 at high speed.
Near the 16 Milepost, approaching the Skyway Bridge, he lost control of the vehicle. The car left the roadway, entered the shoulder, collided with a drainage pond, and overturned into the mangroves.
The unrestrained driver was ejected from the vehicle and thrown into the Gulf of Mexico. A passing boater retrieved him and delivered him to the Maximo Park boat ramp.
He was transported to Orlando Health Bayfront Hospital with serious injuries.
Initial reports indicated that a second occupant may have been in the vehicle. Crews searched the waterway and utilized air assets to look for another victim. No other victims were located.