TAMPA, FL – A Sheriffs’s Deputy was killed in a Tampa, FL semi truck accident early Tuesday morning, September 21, 2010. The Sheriff’s cruiser and the semi trailer collided at the intersection of Scott Street and Florida Ave. in downtown Tampa at about 5:15 a.m.
Tampa is in Hillsborough County Florida in the eastern part of the state about 20 miles northeast of St. Petersburg.
The victim was 48-year-old Deputy Mark A. Longway, of the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. Longway was heading home from his overnight shift with the Port Authority at the Port of Tampa when the accident occurred. The big rig was from CVS/pharmacy.
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Longway was traveling northbound on Florida Ave. and the 18 wheeler was traveling eastbound on Scott Street when they collided under an overpass of Interstate 275. Either Longway or the tractor-trailer ran a red light which caused the accident to happen.
The 39-year-old semi truck driver, Lamont Ashley, was reported as not injured in the accident. Ashley said that it was the deputy who ran the red light. Investigators are not sure if the deputy ran the red light or not so traffic homicide detectives are investigating.
Crash scene investigators performed skid tests at the intersection to see if the evidence supports the truck driver’s story. Investigators are also looking to nearby businesses for surveillance video due to the lack of eyewitnesses.
The force of impact wedged the cruiser underneath the semi trailer. It took between 4 to 6 hours using heavy equipment to extract the car from under the semi truck.
Below is a Google street view of the intersection where the fatal semi truck accident occurred. You can click the mouse to move in any direction through the intersection to get a full 360° view of the area.
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The cruiser did not have dash cam video and the intersection did not have a red light cam to record what was going on. Both vehicles were equipped with data recorders which record things like braking and speed but will not be able to tell which vehicle ran the red light. Investigators are seeking eyewitnesses who might have been there early in the morning to please come forward and call the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.
Longway was married and leaves behind a wife, two adult children and a grandchild. He was a decorated, 21-year U.S. Air Force veteran who spent time in Afghanistan. He won an integrity award for excellent service as a Sheriff’s deputy for Hillsborough County.
Published by Atlanta truck accident lawyer Fried Goldberg LLC, expert nationwide truck accident attorneys specializing in commercial truck injury law across the United States. For more information about Florida trucking laws, truck injury causes and victims rights, talk to an expert truck attorney for a free initial consultation at 1.877.591.1801.