Back in Time Today
On the morning of May 9, 1980, Florida’s Sunshine Skyway Bridge was swallowed by tragedy. In a matter of minutes, a towering span of the bridge collapsed into Tampa Bay—taking cars, trucks, and innocent lives with it. But behind the headlines lies a series of jaw-dropping facts that most people have never heard. Here are 10 shocking truths about the Skyway Bridge disaster that still defy belief.
1. A 608-Foot Tanker Took Down the Bridge
Most bridge collapses are triggered by earthquakes or structural failure—but not this one. The Sunshine Skyway was brought down by the MV Summit Venture, a 20,000-ton freighter. In near-zero visibility, the massive ship slammed into one of the support columns, tearing a 1,200-foot chunk of the bridge into the bay below.
2. The Fog Was So Thick, Even the Radar Was Useless
Visibility that morning was nearly nonexistent. The freighter’s captain and harbor pilot were navigating blindly through pea-soup fog, with visibility dropping to 100 feet or less. Even their radar system struggled to distinguish bridge supports from background interference.
3. 35 People Plunged to Their Deaths
As cars, a bus, and a pickup truck unknowingly drove toward the missing span, they launched off the edge—plummeting 150 feet into the bay. Thirty-five people died in the disaster, including several military veterans and a Greyhound bus full of unsuspecting passengers.
4. One Man Survived the Fall
Among the victims, Wesley MacIntire was the sole survivor. Driving his pickup, he was flung into the water but miraculously escaped his sinking vehicle and clung to wreckage until rescuers arrived. His survival is often considered nothing short of miraculous.
5. A Motorist Stopped Just Inches from the Edge
Moments after the collapse, motorist Richard Hornbuckle and his passengers screeched to a halt just two car lengths from the gap. His yellow Buick stopped inches from the abyss—a terrifying near miss immortalized in a now-famous photograph.
6. The Ship Wasn’t Off Course—The Bridge Was Vulnerable
It’s easy to blame the freighter, but the Skyway had a design flaw: it lacked protective bumpers around its piers. Once hit, the bridge had no chance. The disaster prompted sweeping changes in bridge engineering across the U.S.
7. It Was the Second Collision in Four Months
Shockingly, this wasn’t the first time a ship struck the Skyway. Just four months earlier, another freighter hit a pier of the same bridge. Though no one was injured that time, the incident should have been a wake-up call.
8. The Greyhound Bus Was Running Late
Fate dealt a cruel blow—the Greyhound bus, which carried 26 of the victims, was delayed by minutes. If it had stayed on schedule, it would have crossed safely. That small delay turned into a tragic twist of fate.
9. A Replacement Bridge Was Already in the Works
Before the collapse, plans were already underway for a new, safer bridge. The old Skyway was considered obsolete, but the disaster accelerated the timeline. The new Sunshine Skyway Bridge opened in 1987, with reinforced supports and built-in ship deflectors.
10. The Old Bridge Was Converted Into a Fishing Pier
Rather than demolish it completely, authorities repurposed the remaining sections of the old Skyway as fishing piers. To this day, fishermen cast their lines from what remains of the bridge—just yards from the site of the tragedy.