Helicopter crashes on road, killing pickup truck passenger

TAMPA, Fla. – Authorities say a helicopter has crashed on a busy Florida street, killing a passenger in a pickup truck.

The Florida Highway Patrol says in a news release that the helicopter crashed Thursday afternoon near Tampa.

Troopers say the helicopter, carrying two people, experienced engine failure when it came down near a Palm River intersection. The Highway Patrol says a pickup truck travelling on the road was struck by one of the helicopter’s turning rotor blades, killing the passenger.

Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said at a news conference that the truck’s passenger was the father of the driver.

The truck’s driver and the helicopter’s pilot were taken to a Tampa hospital.

Officials didn’t immediately know what cause the helicopter’s engine problems.