2 cited for careless driving in chain-reaction crash on Howard Frankland Bridge during rush hour

TAMPA, Fla. - A crash involving five vehicles on the Howard Frankland Bridge on Friday morning landed two people in the hospital and closed several lanes during rush hour traffic.

According to the Florida Highway Patrol, five vehicles were traveling southbound on the bridge shortly after 7:15 a.m. when one of the vehicles, a GMC Yukon, stopped in the far-left lane due to stopped traffic ahead of it.

As the driver of a Ford Escape, who was behind the GMC Yukon began to slow down, a Volkswagen Tiguan slammed into the back of their vehicle, causing it to crash into the GMC Yukon before slamming into the left wall and spinning into the middle lane.

That’s when troopers say the driver of a Ford van crashed into the Volkswagen Tiguan and the Ford Escape.

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Post-collision, troopers say the Volkswagen Tiguan swerved to the right and struck a Ford-150.

According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the driver of the Volkswagen Tiguan said her brakes malfunctioned after the crash, so she couldn’t stop her vehicle until it came to a final rest.

The driver of the Volkswagen Tiguan and the driver of the Ford van were taken to an area hospital with minor injuries. They were also issued citations for careless driving, according to FHP.

All vehicles, except for the Ford F-150, were towed from the scene.

The chain-reaction crash happened shortly after a deadly crash shut down the eastbound/northbound side of the Howard Frankland Bridge.

The Source: This story was written with information provided by the Florida Highway Patrol.

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