BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. – One person is dead after a vehicle drove into a canal in western Broward County Friday afternoon.
Sky 10 was overhead as the search was underway at mile marker 44 on Alligator Alley. A body was seen being taken out of the canal after about an hour.
Troopers said the Florida Highway Patrol received a report at 12:53 p.m. about a Waste Management truck heading east on I-75 in a reckless manner in the area of the 65-mile marker.
The FHP found and attempted to initiate a traffic stop on the truck near the 55-mile marker, troopers said.
The truck maintained a consistent speed and did not stop. Troopers said the truck veered onto a south side paved service road at the 48-mile marker.
"There were no signs that he was evasively trying to avoid FHP, but it could very well be a medical condition," said Greg Bueno, of the Florida Highway Patrol. "At this point, that is under investigation, and that is something we are attempting to understand and resolve."
At the downgrade of the service road, the front of the truck struck a guardrail, troopers said. Traveling through the guardrail, the truck then entered the "Levee 28" water-filled canal, struck a concrete weir and became submerged, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
A Miccosukee Police Department officer who was first on the scene dove into the water in an attempt to save the driver.
The driver was later found by the Broward County Sheriff's Office Dive Team, troopers said. There were no other passengers inside the vehicle.
The crash remains under investigation, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
Officials with rifles were on land looking out for alligators that could interfere with the search.