Explore the 1980 Sunshine Skyway Bridge collapse over Tampa Bay, a disaster caused by a freighter crash that sent 35 lives tragically into the water.

On May 9, 1980, a massive freighter struck the Sunshine Skyway Bridge during a dense fog, tearing away its central span. Cars plunged into Tampa Bay, and the disaster became one of Florida’s worst.

Skyway Bridge marks 45th anniversary of deadly collapse amid renewed safety scrutiny Friday marks 45 years since the Sunshine Skyway Bridge tragedy, which claimed the lives of 35 people.