Giant poles crash through semi-truck cab when driver slams on brakes, Florida cops say

Two metal and concrete utility poles being hauled by a tractor-trailer broke free and slammed through the truck’s cab when the driver hit the brakes, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

The driver, a 33-year-old man, was traveling south on Interstate 275 in Tampa at around 10:30 a.m. on April 21 when he saw a vehicle parked in the outside shoulder of the southbound lane, a news release said.

The driver of the car pulled into the southbound travel lane in front of the truck, causing the truck driver to slam on his brakes, the release says.

Two utility poles in the truck’s trailer broke free from their restraints and crashed through the back window of the cab and out the front windshield before hitting the pavement, police said.

The two poles each weigh 5,467 pounds, police said.

The vehicle that pulled out in front of the truck, which the Florida Highway Patrol referred to as a “phantom vehicle,” left the scene.

The truck driver was not injured, police said.

This story was originally published April 21, 2023 at 3:22 PM with the headline "Giant poles crash through semi-truck cab when driver slams on brakes, Florida cops say."