Trucker dies in flooded cab of big rig dangling off bridge into Florida canal, cops say

A trucker died in unusual circumstances when his rig slid off a Florida interstate and got stuck hanging off a bridge with its cab slowly sinking in the water, according to investigators.

The identity of the 64-year-old driver and cause of death have not been released. He was from New Albany, Mississippi, the Florida Highway Patrol said in a news release.

The crash happened at around 2:35 a.m. Monday, Aug. 5, near Tampa, as waves of heavy rain from Hurricane Debby crossed the region.

Investigators say the 18-wheeler was southbound when the driver lost control on the wet road.

“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,” the highway patrol said.

“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.”

Hillsborough County Fire Rescue reports it arrived to find “the truck mostly over the guard rail, with the front cab still out of the water.”

“Shortly thereafter, however, the front cab became submerged,” the department said.

A crane pulled the cab from the canal, revealing it suffered heavy front-end damage during the crash.

The fatality had not been linked directly to the hurricane early Monday, Aug. 5. A series of watches and warnings were issued for the area as Hurricane Debby passed, including tropical storm warning, tornado watch, flood watch and storm surge warning.

This story was originally published August 5, 2024 at 11:08 AM with the headline "Trucker dies in flooded cab of big rig dangling off bridge into Florida canal, cops say."