Traffic

Here's what happens to things that fall off vehicles on I-4

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Anything can happen when you’re driving down I-4.

Things can fly out of windows, off cars and in some cases, out of the backs of semi-trucks.

Channel 9 traffic anchor Racquel Asa and her photographer were out gathering video for a story about I-4 Wednesday when a bumper came off the back of a semi-truck and skidded onto the ground in front of them.

Thankfully no one hit the bumper, but it’s a good reminder that things can – and do – fall onto the busy highway daily. Not all of it is doomed to lay along the side of the road for all eternity.

FHP Road Rangers consistently collect items that have fallen onto the road.

“We’ve had enough debris that has been picked up that can fill 300 dumpsters just from I-4,” said I-4 Ultimate spokesperson Dave Parks.

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Ladders and mattresses are common finds. Not all of it ends up in landfill: Some things (a tire iron, a tile scraper, and a commercial bug zapper, for instance) are recycled.

There’s sort of a lost-and-found for the items that end up along the road. I-4 Ultimate officials said if you call law enforcement, they can help you track down an item.

But Parks said if something falls off your vehicle, you’re responsible for it.

“We had someone who was driving on the 408. A dresser fell out of her vehicle and caused a four-car pileup. They later came back to pick up that dresser and FHP issued citations,” Parks said.

Watch traffic anchor Racquel Asa weekday mornings on Channel 9 Eyewitness News.

You can get free alerts about traffic delays so you can plan ahead. Download the free WFTV News app to your smartphone.

Click here for more news about the I-4 Ultimate project