The seven-car collision injures five others while tying up the Howard Frankland Bridge during Friday rush hour traffic.
By MICHAEL VAN SICKLER
Published August 21, 2004
TAMPA - One woman died, five people were injured and the Howard Frankland Bridge was shut down eastbound for about two hours late Friday afternoon after seven cars collided in rush-hour traffic.
The accident occurred about 6 p.m. on the Tampa side of the bridge. All lanes were closed until 7:50 p.m. when the Florida Highway Patrol began letting cars pass along the emergency lane of the highway shoulder. By 8:30 p.m., traffic was flowing through two lanes.
Shattered glass, hubcaps and debris littered the bridge for about 100 yards. One minivan's entire rear section was smashed, with backpacks and beach gear hanging from what was left of the rear window. A gray Toyota was caved in on the driver's side, with the rear bumper broken like a wishbone. A four-wheel-drive Ford F-350 pickup with a smashed front end, another minivan and three other vehicles were involved in the wreck.
One woman was pronounced dead at Tampa General Hospital. Another five people were taken to TGH for treatment.
FHP Sgt. Jorge Santamaria said the chain of accidents started at 5:53 p.m. Santamaria said witnesses told officers the Ford F-350 pickup hit several vehicles.
Five members of the choir of the First Baptist Church of St. Petersburg were in a van traveling across the bridge to a church retreat when the accident unfolded in the lanes around them.
About 5:50 p.m. rush-hour traffic was crawling along about 10 miles an hour, said Judy Latchford, a passenger in the van. Then she felt a bump that spilled a tray of sandwiches in back. "All I know is, I was facing forward. I just heard a crunching sound. It really happened fast," Latchford said.
Vehicles began to stack up in a line stretching back across the bay immediately as the highway's eastbound traffic came to a halt.
After it became apparent no one was going anywhere for a while, people began pacing and sitting on the concrete barriers.
"This is amazing," said Alan Kloman of St. Petersburg. "This is a matter of misadministration."
He wondered aloud why officials didn't dispatch a helicopter from Bayfront Medical Center. "Where's the medevac? What's going on? I hope nobody dies," he said.
Two tow trucks and two ambulances from St. Petersburg tried to weave their way past the jammed cars by using the shoulder of the road, and it was slow going for all four, with drivers having to back up to let them through.
By 7:30 p.m. more people were pouring out of their cars and rubbernecking, trying to see how far the logjam stretched.
"Why can't they get at least one lane moving? How big is this accident?" said Marcie Miles, a 27-year-old engineer with Raytheon from Madeira Beach, who was going with her husband, Dave, to a friend's house for pizza and games.
The couple munched chocolate chip cookies and Dave joked about pitching a tent, as they waited for the cars to begin moving again.
Shortly after 8 p.m., Tampa police and Fire Rescue vehicles appeared along the westbound lanes, responding to reports someone had jumped off the bridge. The report proved false, as it was only two children playing, police said. But it added to the confusion at the scene.
Staff writer Jeff Harrington contributed to this report.
