23-year-old dies when highway sign hits car during Hurricane Helene, Florida cops say

Among the seven deaths in Florida attributed to Hurricane Helene, one occurred when a massive highway exit sign fell and landed on a vehicle with four people inside, according to state investigators.

It happened around 7:49 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 26, near the historic Ybor City area of Tampa, and a 23-year-old passenger did not survive, the Florida Highway Patrol reports.

The man’s identity and details of how he died were not released as of Sept. 27. He lived in Gibsonton, about an 11-mile drive southeast from downtown Tampa.

“A Honda Odyssey, driven by a 61-year-old Gibsonton man, was traveling westbound on Interstate 4,” Sgt. Steve Gaskins with the Florida Highway Patrol said in a news release. “As the driver approached 21st Street, a freeway sign fell upon the vehicle and caused fatal injuries to the 23-year-old passenger.”

The driver escaped injury, along with a 24-year-old man and 44-year-old woman, officials said.

Photos shared by the highway patrol show the vehicle went off the shoulder of the interstate and came to a stop with the Jefferson Street exit sign on the roof. A metal pole nearly twice the length of the car was still attached to the sign.

The incident happened as the Category 4 storm was nearing landfall in the Big Bend region of Florida, with winds of 140 mph.

Forecasters predicted the Tampa area might face peak winds of 39 to 57 mph around the time the crash occurred.

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