Authorities have released the name of the trucker who was killed when his big rig plunged off the side of a new section of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge.

The San Francisco medical examiner says Tahir Sheikh Fakhar died in the crash early Monday morning as he drove on the bridge's new S curve.

Investigators say the 56-year-old Hayward man was driving 50 mph, 10 miles above the speed limit, when he lost control of the truck.

The rig hit a rail and went over the side, landing on Yerba Buena Island.

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Authorities say Fakhar was an independent trucker who had bought the rig several months ago. He had been working as a subcontractor for JM&R Trucking in Oakland for several months.

The firm's owner described Fakhar as a safe driver who was always prompt.