Howard Frankland lanes reopened after fiery, deadly crash shut down interstate

TAMPA — A Tampa man was killed in an early-morning, fiery crash on the Howard Frankland Bridge Wednesday, one of two crashes on Tampa Bay area bridges that caused traffic backups.

The northbound lanes of Interstate-275 were reopened at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday after the fatal crash closed a portion of the interstate on the Howard Frankland for nearly 7 hours as the crash was investigated, the Florida Highway Patrol reported.

Later that morning, the Courtney Campbell Causeway had its eastbound lanes closed because of a crash on the Tampa side of the bridge, Clearwater police reported. The lanes were re-opened just after 9 a.m.

The fatal crash that closed I-275 began when a sport utility vehicle became disabled south of State Road 60. A van then crashed into the SUV, followed by a car hitting the back of the van, troopers said. All three vehicles were traveling in the inside lane.

The impact made the SUV burst into flames and its driver, a 31-year-old Tampa man, was killed. The drivers of the van, a 29-year-old Tampa man, and the car, a 38-year-old St. Petersburg man, were not injured, troopers said.

Cameras showed traffic on the Howard Frankland was being diverted onto Kennedy Boulevard during rush hour, causing significant delays on the bridge. Cameras showed a burnt SUV in the middle of the interstate.

The names of the three drivers involved were not released by troopers.