Troopers identify FedEx driver who died in I-4 crash

TAMPA — The driver in a fatal truck crash on Interstate 4 was identified Tuesday afternoon as 45-year-old William Morales, of Tampa.

About 3 a.m. near the I-4 exit to U.S. 301 and Hillsborough Avenue, Morales lost control of his FedEx truck after hitting a tire that popped off another semitrailer truck, said Sgt. Larry Kraus, spokesman for the Florida Highway Patrol.

The FedEx truck crashed into a north shoulder barrier wall and concrete pillars for the U.S. 301 overpass, Kraus said. Morales died at the scene.

The driver of the semi, 51-year-old Felix Rios of Miami, was not injured.

Two westbound I-4 lanes were closed for hours but reopened about 6:30 a.m. The U.S. 301 exit reopened just before 8 a.m., Kraus said.

The crash is under investigation.

It was one of two incidents early Tuesday that caused traffic on westbound I-4 near southbound Interstate 275 to back up for miles.

A couple of hours after the FedEx truck crash, troopers closed two westbound lanes of I-4 near I-275 because there were concrete pavers in the road, Kraus said. It's not clear where they came from.

The road was cleaned up soon after, but traffic remained slow there, too, with crews and emergency vehciles on the roads' shoulders in both spots.

Follow This Just In on Twitter.