One dead after truck crashes off I-75 overpass at Fowler

TAMPA (FOX 13) - One person died and others were injured Tuesday when a box truck full of tomatoes flipped off of Interstate 75 onto a vehicle headed east on Fowler Avenue.

The interstate was closed in both directions for hours after the crash that happened at 4 p.m. It reopened shortly before 9 p.m.

Emergency officials say the truck was headed northbound on I-75 when it collided with an SUV and lost control. The truck then plunged down the embankment onto Fowler below, landing on another vehicle.

Immediately after the crash, FDOT traffic cameras in the area showed the wreckage burning under the I-75 overpass. Smoke and flames were engulfing the overpass, but the fire has since been extinguished.

According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the truck came to rest onto a vehicle on Fowler, killing an occupant in that vehicle. The driver of the truck was hospitalized with serious injuries.

Hillsborough County Fire Rescue says as many as four other vehicles were involved. Several damaged vehicles were stopped above along I-75, where paramedics and even a medical helicopter were on scene.

Five people have been hospitalized so far, HCFR added.

The truck's load of tomatoes is adding to the mess littering the lanes of Fowler.