Raised dump bed hits I-10 overpass, driver severely injured

Florida police are investigating a dump truck crash that left a commercial vehicle driver with serious injuries on Thursday.

The crash occurred shortly after 11 p.m. on July 11 in Okaloosa County, Florida.

A dump truck traveling on westbound I-10 struck the Wilkerson Bluff overpass with the bed in a raised position. After the crash, the truck veered off the interstate and crashed into a wooded area.

A pickup truck following the dump truck was struck by debris from the crash. The vehicle was damaged but the pickup driver was not hurt.

The dump truck driver, a 65 year old Florida resident, suffered major injuries. He was airlifted to a hospital for treatment.

According to the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP), the dump truck driver “failed to lower the dump bed of the truck back down to the ‘driving position’ when he left a nearby construction site. The truck’s dump bed being up caused it to strike the Wilkerson Bluff overpass.”

FHP also stated that the dump truck driver “appeared to have suffered a medical event while operating” the vehicle.

I-10 was closed for hours for investigation and cleanup, but fully reopened as of 9 a.m. on Friday.