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A large metal box in the middle of northbound I-75 caused a Friday morning crash that backed up traffic for hours in Lee County. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, a semitruck was traveling north in the outside lane of I-75, approaching the Palm Beach Boulevard overpass around 5:30 a.m. A large metal container was obstructing the outside lane ahead of the semitruck, which swerved to avoid it. The driver lost control of the semitruck, which overturned onto its side and came to rest in the travel lanes. The driver was not uninjured, thanks to his quick thinking. Ajax, the company the truck belongs to, said they are happy their driver is uninjured. “The truck overturned and came to rest on a side. Naturally, you could see in that whole scenario how this could have been tragic,” said FHP Lt. Greg Bueno. Bueno said what happened is not only preventable but illegal. The state statute titled “Loads on Vehicles” states it clearly. “Any vehicle may not be driven or moved on any highway unless the vehicle is so constructed or loaded as to prevent any of its load from dropping, shifting, leaking, blowing or otherwise escaping,” the statute reads. “It’s an infraction for you to lose your load onto the road not safely secure it. Now what happens with that infraction, though it becomes criminal, if someone is seriously injured or died because of your negligence of letting something fall from your vehicle,” Bueno said. It’s unclear where the big box came from but it did cause a headache. “It was already a mess interfered with the daily commute of lots of people,” Bueno said. “It create a traffic congestion. But man, someone could have lost their life.” FHP posted a video of the crash on its Twitter account: Be sure to secure your load each & every trip‼️ A large metal box in the travel lane of Interstate 75 could of caused a tragedy! Thankfully, no injuries involved! @FLHSMV pic.twitter.com/Sp1NmRFrP8 — FHP SWFL (@FHPSWFL) December 2, 2022 The crash remains under investigation.