Tallahassee, FL : Fatal crash closes NB lanes of Howard Frankland Bridge heading into Tampa on Friday, 19th October 2018

A Pinellas Park man killed Friday morning in a crash on the Howard Frankland Bridge had made a U-Turn near the center of the bridge and drove in the wrong direction for two to three miles before colliding with another vehicle, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

Renard Antonio McGriff, 46, was driving north in a 2010 Chrysler sedan just before 6 a.m. when he turned around about halfway to Tampa, the Highway Patrol said. After driving two to three miles in the wrong direction, McGriff crashed head-on into a 2016 Ford van driven by Mark Joseph Reale near Fourth Street N, the Highway Patrol said.

McGriff died at the scene. Reale, 44, of St. Petersburg, was transported to Tampa General Hospital with critical injuries.

A GMC SUV driven by 40-year-old Ozgur Akan of Alpharetta, Ga., struck the side of the van but was not injured, the Highway Patrol said.

Source