Trucker, motorist perish after semi truck flips off bridge into canal

Two people are dead after a wreck sent a semi truck plunging into a canal in Florida on Thursday morning. 

The accident happened on July 22nd in Boynton Beach, Florida on Turnpike 2 at around 8:30 a.m.

According to The Palm Beach Post, two sedans hit their brakes in front of a semi truck in stop-and-go traffic and the trucker was unable to stop. The rig slammed into one of the cars, which struck the second car and sent both crashing into the guardrail on the right side of the roadway. The force of the impact sent the semi truck veering off the highway, where it crushed one of the cars involved before flipping over a concrete barrier and off the side of the bridge. The cab came to a stop submerged in the water below while the trailer dangled off the bridge. 

Paramedics rushed the truck driver to a nearby hospital but the 66-year-old unnamed driver was later pronounced dead. The 42-year-old unnamed woman inside of the crushed car was pronounced dead on scene. A woman in the third car suffered only minor injuries. 

All southbound lanes were closed between Boynton Beach Boulevard and Atlantic Avenue until around 3:45 p.m. 

All lanes have reopened at this time https://t.co/dTooHinxFb

— FHP West Palm Beach (@FHPPalmBeach) July 22, 2021