Traffic on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. can sometimes feel like it’s at a standstill during the busy commuting hours in the early morning or afternoon. However, on the morning of August 29, traffic actually stood still for more than two hours after an accident knocked down power lines and closed all four lanes of the busy road.
According to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO), a traffic accident at around 7:30 a.m. near 42nd St. and BBD knocked down power lines and closed all lanes of the road until the Tampa Electric Company (TECO) arrived.
Due to the accident, TECO reports that about 3,000 customers in the Tampa Palms area were without power, but that power to all customers was restored by 9:40 a.m.
HCSO says that the crash occurred when a 2008 Chevy Imapla heading south on BBD attempted to turn into the Oak Ramble Plaza shopping center, just south of Amberly Dr. The Impala, driven by 24-year-old Francis Griesser pulled out in front of a Ford F-250 truck traveling in the northbound lanes of BBD. The truck was pulling a trailer full of lawn equipment and had four passengers in the truck bed.
The truck attempted to avoid the collision, but struck the Impala in the rear and kept moving until it hit a TECO power pole, snapping it at the base and causing the lines to fall onto the lanes of BBD, causing a small fire.
HCSO says that one of the truck’s passengers complained about leg pain and was transported to Florida Hospital on Fletcher Ave.
Griesser was cited for failing to yield to a right-of-way and driving with a suspended license.
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