TAMPA, Fla. – A driver was hospitalized after crashing his SUV into a disabled pickup truck on I-4 in Tampa early Wednesday morning, sending debris across the highway. Speed appears to have been a major factor in the accident.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP), the disabled Ford F-150 was stopped in the inside lane of eastbound I-4 in Ybor City around 3:30 a.m. on Wednesday. A 28-year-old Tampa man driving a Ford Explorer approached the pickup “at a high speed,” troopers said, attempting to swerve but ultimately crashing into the back of the truck. The impact scattered debris across multiple lanes of I-4.
Troopers reported that evidence at the scene, including the vehicles’ damage and a stuck speedometer, indicated the SUV driver was traveling at approximately 80 mph in a 55 mph zone at the time of the collision.
The FHP confirmed the SUV driver was taken to the hospital but is expected to survive. Fortunately, the pickup truck was unoccupied at the time of the crash. The driver of the pickup, a 54-year-old man from Thonotosassa, told troopers that his truck stalled and he was unable to put it into neutral, so he activated his hazard lights and exited the vehicle.
FHP investigators are still working to determine why the pickup truck driver stopped in the inside lane rather than attempting to move to the shoulder.
The source of this story is the Florida Highway Patrol.
