Deadly Alligator Alley crash in Collier County kills 1, eastbound lanes reopen

Reporter: Lauren Leslie Writer: Derrick Shaw
Published: Updated:
alligator alley crash 3.11
alligator alley crash 3.11

One man is dead and another seriously injured after a semi-truck crash off Alligator Alley in Collier County left the vehicle underwater Friday morning.

The crash killed a 23-year-old Tampa man who was a passenger in the truck and injured the driver, a 22-year-old Miami man.

The crash also caused possible damage to one of the pillars of a bridge leading to the closure of the eastbound lanes of I-75 at SR-29 much of Saturday morning.

The lanes were reopened just before noon on Saturday.

Traffic is flowing once again, although the left lane remains closed near mile marker 73 where the crash occurred.

Traffic was at a crawl throughout Friday evening.

According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the semi was hauling a flatbed full of wood east on Alligator Alley around 5 a.m. on Friday. The driver failed to negotiate a right curve, and the semi entered the median, collided with the guardrail, and overturned into a water-filled canal.

The passenger was transported to an area hospital and later pronounced dead, while the driver sustained serious injuries. The crash remains under investigation.

WINK News reached out to Florida Highway Patrol to get an update on the bridge inspection, but we have not heard back.

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