Crane Hits I-275 Overpass, Hit-And-Run Driver Sought

No one was injured in an early morning Aug. 20 crash along Interstate 275 near the Kennedy Boulevard overpass, but Florida Highway Patrol Troopers say they want to know who’s responsible.

The crash happened around 9:22 a.m. as a flatbed tractor trailer, carrying an oversized load, including a crane, was heading southbound on I-275. When the trailer passed under Kennedy Boulevard, the crane hit the overpass, wrote Sgt. Steve Gaskins in an email to media.

The trailer continued southbound over the Howard Frankland Bridge without stopping, Gaskins said.

While no one was injured in the crash, Gaskins said a 2011 Mazda CX-7 driven by Elizabeth McLaughlin, 56, of Tampa was “severely damaged.” The overpass also suffered damage, which caused concrete to fall on the southbound lanes of I-275, forcing closings for a time.

Anyone who saw this crash or has information about the tractor-trailer’s driver is asked to call the Florida Highway Patrol at 813-631-4020.

_____

This story was written by Sherri Lonon and first published to the South Tampa Patch.