FORT WALTON BEACH — A local man was killed Sunday morning in a one-vehicle wreck while driving on Brooks Bridge.
Willie J. King Jr. of Fort Walton Beach was driving westbound on U.S. Highway 98 over the bridge in a 1991 GMC around 2:30 a.m. when the 41-year-old hit the concrete divider in the median, according to the Fort Walton Beach Police traffic crash report.
The impact caused the vehicle to flip onto the driver's side and continue moving, sliding across eastbound Hwy. 98 and into a fence and a tree, the report said.
Emergency responders had to use the Jaws of Life to remove King from the truck. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
King was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash, the report said.
Officials with the police department determined King was going around 50 mph in the 35 mph zone. It was dark and raining at the time of the crash.
The wreck caused $10,000 in damages to the vehicle and $1,000 damage to the fence, which is property of the City of Fort Walton Beach.
The exact cause for the crash is under investigation.
