HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. – Morning commuters faced a major headache Wednesday after a shipping container slid off a tractor-trailer and demolished a traffic control box, leaving a busy intersection in the dark for hours.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the incident occurred around 5:30 a.m. at the intersection of 50th Street and Causeway Boulevard.
Troopers say a 52-year-old Seffner man was driving a tractor-trailer northbound on 50th Street. As he attempted to make a left turn onto Causeway Boulevard, the shipping container—which investigators noted was improperly secured—broke free from the trailer.
The heavy container crashed onto the northeast corner of the intersection, slamming directly into a traffic signal control box. The impact completely disabled the traffic lights, snarling traffic in the area for several hours while crews worked to clear the scene and repair the damage…