TAMPA, Fla. — The driver of an 18-wheeler that fell into a Tampa Bypass Canal early Monday morning was found dead, according to officials.
The Hillsborough County Fire Rescue said they received a call around 2:35 a.m. reporting that the 18-wheeler traveling south on I-75 near MM 263 in Tampa lost control and went off the road. The truck rotated, collided with a concrete barrier wall along the outside shoulder and then traveled over the wall.
When crews arrived, they found the truck teetering on the guard rail, with the cab still out of the water. But after around 15 minutes, the front cab became submerged.
HCFR said multiple units were actively working for hours to try and gain access to the cab. Divers from the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office then located the cab around 40 feet below the surface and found the driver, a 64-year-old man from New Albany, Mississippi, inside.
HCFR confirmed the driver was dead when officials found him. The truck was recovered and taken to a Stepps Towing location to be inspected.
The crash closed the southbound lanes of I-75 at Fowler Avenue until 9:30 a.m.
It is still unknown if there were more people in the truck when it went over. There are no other details available at this time.
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