As Thursday arrives, the Tampa Bay area pauses to reflect on a somber anniversary—the 44th year since the Sunshine Skyway Bridge disaster.
Back in 1980, on May 9th, shock rippled through the region when the Summit Venture freighter, shrouded in fog, collided with the bridge, causing a catastrophic collapse.
On May 9, 1980, 35 people were killed when a freighter got lost in fog and slammed into the Sunshine Skyway Bridge. The collision caused a section of the bridge to collapse, sending eight cars plunging into the water. Crews rebuilt the bridge, and it reopened in 1987 pic.twitter.com/1VjWuJ5mIy
— Peculiar Wonders (@PeculiarWonders) May 7, 2024
This tragic event claimed the lives of thirty-five individuals, primarily passengers aboard a Greyhound bus that plunged into the water below.
On this day, 9 May 1980, the Sunshine Skyway Bridge in Tampa Bay, Florida, tragically collapsed during a severe thunderstorm. A freighter named the MV Summit Venture struck the bridge's southbound span, causing a section of the bridge to collapse and sending several vehicles… pic.twitter.com/3Orq3RUxhW
— Daily Anxiolytic (@DailyAnxiolytic) May 9, 2024
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Remarkably, amidst the devastation, Wesley MacIntire emerged as the sole survivor, his truck miraculously landing on the freighter’s deck before plummeting into the depths.
The incident led to the demolition of the original bridge, eventually replaced by the current Sunshine Skyway Bridge in 1987.
A beautiful photograph of the April pink moon from last week. This photo was taken near the Tampa Bay Sunshine Skyway Bridge.
Along with the pink moon, those are pink Spoonbills.
Photograph: Michele Burt#photography pic.twitter.com/iN1HmBPDpp
— Michael Dean Shelton (@michaeldean0116) May 5, 2024
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