1 dead, injuries suffered after crash caused by alleged DUI driver
TAMPA, FL – A man was suspected of driving under the influence when he crashed his Ford F-150 pickup truck into a center median, resulting in one death and sustained injuries.
This collision occurred on Mariner Boulevard before 7 p.m. Wednesday, WFLA reported. The alleged impaired driver — 38-year-old Reinier Casola Rodriguez of Tampa — had declined to negotiate a curve when he struck the barrier and a utility pole.
Rodriguez had then proceeded to flee the scene on foot and was found a mile away from the collision site by a Hernando County Sheriff’s Office K-9.
Rogriguez’s front-seat passenger, who was only identified as a 34-year-old man from West Palm Beach, did not wear a seatbelt and fell out of the truck. He was transported to a hospital, where he later died.
Two other passengers — two men from Miami — suffered minor injuries and were not sent to a medical facility.
Rodriguez sustained minor wounds and was sent to a hospital, where he was said to have hit a nurse tending to his care. He refused a breathalyzer and blood sample test. Despite that, troopers were able to confirm that he did exhibit signs of impairment.
Officials later sent Rodriguez to Hernando County Jail. His charges consist of “DUI manslaughter, leaving the scene of a crash involving death, driving while license suspended (involving a death), and felony battery.”
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