The Sunshine Skyway Bridge Disaster From The 1980s Is Something Floridians Will Never Ever Forget

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.

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.

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.

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.

With winds coming in at nearly 60 mph, the freighter was blown off course and crashed into a secondary bridge pier causing the collapse.

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.

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.

Today, the new skyway bridge has protections around their main piers called “dolphins” which are 60-foot wide bumpers.

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.

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