You especially don’t cut off a semi-truck carrying six 2.5-ton concrete poles.
At least one Tampa, Florida driver never saw Final Destination 2 and thought it was fine to cut off a semi-truck carrying massive concrete poles on Friday, April 21. The careless maneuver caused the truck driver to slam on the brakes, causing two of the concrete poles to break free from their restraints and plow through the truck’s cab on to the highway ahead. Thankfully, no one was injured.
According to Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) Tampa, the semi-truck was on Interstate 275 headed south. The driver of a second vehicle was ahead, parked on the southbound outside shoulder. As the second car’s driver tried to merge back onto the highway, they started out on the shoulder but reportedly cut off the semi-truck, which is what caused the subsequent mayhem.
The semi-truck was carrying six metal/concrete poles and thankfully only two broke lose from their tie-downs, otherwise there would have been far more damage. Each pole weighs 5,467 lbs, or roughly the same as an entry-level Chevy Tahoe. It’s almost unbelievable that the driver wasn’t hit by either of the poles as they tore through the windshield. Thankfully, the driver is said to be doing OK.
Two lanes of I-275 had to be shut down temporarily as two trucks with a crane arms picked the concrete poles up and slid them back through the windshield, onto the trailer. Since there wasn’t any damage to any other vehicle, cleanup was relatively simple.
The police report claims there were around 85 feet of skid marks, which means that semi took a long time to stop, while carrying an immensely heavy and dangerous load. The other driver likely just kept on driving as the semi-truck slammed on its brakes, as there’s no word on the other car or driver.
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