Skyway
Skyway
The True Story of Tampa Bay's Signature Bridge and the Man Who Brought It Down
..., into Tampa Bay. Directly in the ship’s path was the Sunshine Skyway Bridge–two ribbons of concrete, steel, and asphalt that crossed fifteen miles of open bay. Suddenly, a violent weather cell reduced visibility to zero at the precise moment when Lerro attempted to direct the 20,000-ton vessel underneath the bridge. Unable to stop or see where he was going, Lerro drove the ship into a support pier; the main span splintered and collapsed 150 feet into the bay. Seven cars and a Greyhound bus fell over the broken edge and into the churning water below. Thirty-five people died.. and sank. Although he was the lone survivor, MacIntire, like Lerro, was emotionally scarred and remained haunted by the tragedy for the rest of his life. Similarly, DeYoung details the downward spiral of Lerro’s life, his vilification in the days and weeks that followed the accident, and his obsession with the tragedy well into his painful last years..
A well-paced narrative that parses history from tragedy.’–.
An intimately detailed account of this disaster, its victims and the survivors, the legal aftermath, as well as a complete history of the bridge, old and new. . . . Reads like a novel.’–.
Takes us . . . into the thoughts and emotions of the principal players as the unfolding calamity is perceived too late in the fury of a sudden, blinding rainstorm.’–.
Entranc[ing]. . . . While DeYoung explains the events that precipitated that tragic morning, he does more than that: He makes the pilot of the boat, the late Capt. John Lerro, into a real person. He allows readers to peek into the world of commercial boat captains. . . and empathize with the unreasonable challenges these men undertake as regularly as most of us boot up our computers in the morning.’—Creative Loafing Tampa
Weaves together personal interviews and extensive research to reconstruct how Florida’s mightiest bridge was built then destroyed, and how the horrendous accident effectively cast a pall over the life of harbor pilot John Lerro.’–.
DeYoung uses electrifying details to illustrate the importance of the bridge and its significance in connecting Pinellas County to Manatee County and points south.’—Tampa Bay Magazine
DeYoung’s account of the accident from the perspective of the victims traveling on the bridge is riveting. . . . A fresh and vivid retelling of the disaster.’–.
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