AVON, NC – The body of the trucker who plunged into the Chesapeake Bay on December 29th was in the Outer Banks near Avon, North Carolina.
The body of Erik Mezick, the Maryland driver whose truck plunged into the Chesapeake Bay, was found by a resident at 9:14 a.m. 100 miles away from the scene of the accident. It was located between the villages Salvo and Avon.
An official release states that the body showed advanced decomposition which indicated it has been in the ocean for a very long time.
Mezick’s family announced the discovery of Mezick’s body on the Facebook page “Finding Erik Mezick”, which was created after the incident to post updates on the case. They posted the following:
Erik has been found in North Carolina! We have just been Notified! We will be back with more information as we get it! We said he would present himself when he was ready and in true Eric style he did just that today on his favorite beach! We love you all!
The “Finding Erik Meznik” Facebook Group
What caused Mezick to plunge off the Bay is still unknown. What is known is that the weather conditions were windy the day the accident happened. However, they were not severe enough to cause traffic restrictions.
On that fateful trip, Mezick was traveling North driving a box truck on a delivery run for Cloverland Greenspring Dairy, a company based in Baltimore. At Mile Marker 14, the truck slammed into the guard rail on the bridge and plunged into the bay.
Eyewitnesses saw a man get out of the cab and drift away in the water. It is still unclear whether Mezick got out or fell out of the cab. What is known is that Mezick was unresponsive and was drifting westward and then he went under the water.
The search for Mezick or his body was performed by the Coast Guard, fire department, police forces, and emergency medical services, spanning more than 180 square miles. The evening on Dec 29, the search was called off.
Experts predicted that Mezick’s body has sunk in the cold water, which is a phenomenon in which the body will stay underwater when the water temperature is below 60 degrees. As soon as the temperature rose, his body was found.
Finding Mezick’s body has brought closure for his family, who have been relentlessly searching for him since December.
