There are often days within a state’s history that go down in infamy. Unfortunately, for Tampa residents, May 9, 1980, is a day that most will never forget as tragedy struck on the Sunshine Skyway Bridge. The bridge we see today in all its beauty is not the original bridge built in 1954, but instead is a rebuilt beauty spanning the Lower Tampa Bay connecting St. Petersburg, Florida to Terra Ceia. Tragedy befell the original Skyway bridge on more than one occasion, with the second event being the most catastrophic.

The current Sunshine Skyway Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge that opened in 1987 and is the second bridge to have this name in this same location.
Flickr Matthew Paulson
What is now considered a true symbol of Florida was once the site of a deadly collapse when a cargo ship collided with the bridge, killing over 30 people.
Wikimedia
On May 9, 1980, The Sunshine Skyway Bridge collapsed into Tampa Bay, sending vehicles and a Greyhound bus plummeting over 150-feet into the water.
Flickr creativelenna
The freighter known as Summit Venture crashed into the columns under the bridge causing a 1,200-foot portion of the bridge to collapse into the water.
Flickr Paul Huber

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With winds coming in at nearly 60 mph, the freighter was blown off course and crashed into a secondary bridge pier causing the collapse.
Flickr James Williamor
At 7:33 a.m., 35 people died when the vehicles fell from the bridge into the water, due to the stormy conditions and lower visibility from the day.
Flickr Philipp Meier
Eight motorists who had no idea of the collapse drove toward the edge of the bridge which had already sunken down into the water below.
Flickr zug zwang
Today, the new skyway bridge has protections around their main piers called “dolphins” which are 60-foot wide bumpers.
Flickr Paul Huber
But we will never forget the tragedy that befell the very first Sunshine Skyway Bridge in 1980 and will always honor the lives lost on that fateful day.
Flickr Matthew Paulson

Do you remember the Skyway Bridge disaster? Share with us your thoughts in the comments section below.

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