HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. – Traffic was already crawling along Northbound I-75 Monday afternoon as drivers tried to navigate past a vehicle fire near the Sun City Center exit. But at approximately 4:30 PM, the slow commute turned into a scene of wreckage near the 235 Milepost.
According to Florida Highway Patrol investigators, a tractor-trailer attempting to escape the gridlock performed an illegal U-turn near the Hillsborough-Manatee County line, directly crossing into the path of oncoming traffic.
The maneuver proved nearly fatal for a 28-year-old man from Parrish who was traveling in a Toyota Corolla. With nowhere to go, the sedan slammed into the semi-truck as it blocked the lanes…