Southbound Interstate 75 in Gibsonton was closed this morning for several hours after a fatal crash in which a car went into the Alafia River and an ABC Liquors tractor trailer overturned.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the ABC Liquors semi truck and a BMW sedan were traveling south on I-75 approaching the Alafia River bridge around 2:30 a.m.
With visibility limited by fog, the two vehicles collided, and the BMW traveled off the inside shoulder of the bridge and into the Alafia River.
The semi overturned, spilling a large portion of the 30,000 gallons of alcoholic beverages it was carrying onto the highway, troopers said.
Hillsborough County Fire Rescue's dive team attempted to rescue the driver of the BMW, but were unsuccessful. That driver, 42-year-old James Dylan Proctor of Parrish, died at the scene. The driver of the semi, 30-year-old Wayne Damari Waldon of Lakeland, was taken to Tampa General Hospital with minor injuries.
"It's a good 20-foot plunge (into the river) off the interstate," said Chip Shields of Hillsborough County Fire Rescue.
Charges are pending, the FHP said.