TAMPA, Fla. — A dump truck driver had a medical episode Tuesday, causing a crash that shut down a stretch of Dale Mabry Highway.
Tampa police say the 60-year-old was driving his work truck just before 9:30 a.m. when he began having health trouble.
The situation caused him to drift off the highway and hit a TECO pole and a cement light pole before continuing onto the grass outside a Verizon store, investigators say. From there, officers say the dump truck crossed the intersection of Dale Mabry Highway and Swann Avenue, rolled through the South Beach parking lot and hit a parked car.
The driver was found unconscious inside. He was taken to a nearby hospital, where police say he was pronounced dead.
Part of the highway was closed for several hours while crews worked to investigate and restore power. All the electricity has since been restored, according to first responders.
