A Florida man faces multiple felony charges following a June traffic accident that killed a 30-year-old woman and injured her two children in what law enforcement said was an alcohol-related accident.
The 26-year-old man, a resident of St. Petersburg, was arrested July 3, a month after the accident in northern Pasco County. He was traveling north on U.S 41, approaching Fontaine Avenue, when his Hyundai Accent wound up in the southbound lane, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
In the southbound lane, his car wound up in front of the woman’s Saturn SC2, and the cars collided head-on. The woman, who lived in Citrus Springs, died at the scene. Her children, ages 9 and 7, were airlifted to an area children’s hospital and admitted with serious injuries.
The driver and his passenger, a 27-year-old man from Philadelphia, also were admitted to a local hospital with what were described as serious injuries.
The accident occurred at 8 a.m. After a month-long investigation, state troopers arrested the driver, and the man was charged with DUI manslaughter, three counts of DUI with serious injury, felony violation of controlled substances and two counts of property damage stemming from a DUI.
He was taken to the Land O’ Lakes Detention Center and held in lieu of a $500,000 bond.
As this man’s case winds through the court system in Florida, he will need a vigorous defense to fight the multiple felony charges he faces. An attorney who is experienced in DUI cases will study his case to determine whether the police investigation and lab tests, for example, were performed accurately.