TAMPA, Fla. — The northbound lanes of I-275 are open again after an accident shut them down Friday morning.
At about 10:30 a.m., the event happened just east of the Veterans Expressway junction and south of Lois Ave.
The 33-year-old driver from Lake Wales told police he thought he saw a car parked on the outside shoulder, according to a news statement from the Florida Highway Patrol. He said that the “phantom vehicle,” as the FHP called it, changed lanes and cut him off.
The driver slammed on the brakes, which made two utility poles fall off the trailer and crash through the truck’s cab. Eagle 8 HD’s aerial video showed that the poles were sticking out of both the front and back windshields.
The Florida Highway Patrol said that the poles were made of metal and concrete and that Duke Energy owned them. The weight of each pole was 5,467 lb.
Crews have cleaned up the crash scene, and all lanes are now open again. The accident did not hurt the car.
