A tow truck driver who responded to a crash that left a semi teetering over the edge of an overpass in Boca Raton, Florida, died after he fell off the side of the road on Wednesday.
The crash occurred off the Congress Avenue overpass at the Interstate 95 interchange, prompted a precautionary closure of multiple lanes of the southbound highway.
It also caused major traffic backups much of the morning, until all lanes of I-95 were re-opened around 10:50 a.m., television station WPTV in West Palm Beach reported.
The Florida Highway Patrol said a tow truck worker who responded to the scene after the crash fell from the overpass and died. The name of the victim has not been released.
FHP Sgt. Mark Wysocky said they will not comment on if the tow truck worker, who is employed by Emerald Towing, was following safety protocols when the fall occurred.
The crash happened about 5:30 a.m. when the semi was exiting I-95 southbound and crossed a median, hitting the wall. Wysocky said speed is a possible factor in the wreck.
The driver of the semi, Adrian Figueredo, 38, who is employed by Jjr Transport & Logistics of Lehigh Acres, Florida., was not hurt. It’s unclear if he will face charges.
The tractor-trailer was removed from the wall and upright around 10:20 a.m., and then the lanes were reopened.
This is the third wreck to take place in the area involving semis: the last one occurred on March 29, and another crash at the location involving a dangling semi happened on Aug. 4, 2016, WPTV reported.