Miami Driver Charged With DUI Manslaughter in Deadly Hit and Run Crash

Tampa, FL (Law Firm Newswire) October 16, 2019 – A Miami driver faces multiple charges in a fatal hit-and-run accident in Hialeah, Florida. The police officers who arrested him found several beer cans on the floor of his car’s front passenger side.

Authorities identified the driver of the nighttime crash as 40-year-old man. He was charged with vehicular homicide, DUI manslaughter, driving with a suspended license and leaving the scene of an accident involving a death. A 63-year-old female passenger in an SUV died after the man struck her vehicle.

Records indicated the man had a suspended driver’s license and was a habitual traffic offender. He had two prior DUI convictions and at least four suspensions on his license.

“A habitual traffic offender with prior DUI convictions should not be behind the wheel of a car in the first place,” commented Robert Joyce, a Tampa personal injury attorney with Joyce & Reyes, who is not involved with the case. “Drunk driving is extremely dangerous and irresponsible. In this case, it proved fatal and took the life of an innocent person.”

The man was driving a white 2009 Toyota Camry in the southbound lanes but heading northbound at a high rate of speed. Surveillance video showed the vehicle running a stop sign at the intersection before striking the side of a white 2007 Dodge Durango. The impact pushed both cars into a parked vehicle across the road and caused serious damage before eventually destroying a metal gate.

The Durango rolled over after being hit. The female passenger was pronounced dead at the scene. Hialeah Fire Rescue said the 54-year-old male driver was airlifted to an area hospital.

According to an arrest report, the hit-and-run driver exited his car through the front passenger door. He initially talked to a witness, who went to assist the victims. However, he then fled the scene of the accident on foot. Police officers later found him after searching the vicinity.

The man’s face was bleeding and he allegedly smelled of alcohol. He was held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center in Miami lieu of a $66,500 bond.

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Learn more at http://www.joyceandreyespa.com Joyce and Reyes Law Firm, P.A. 307 S Hyde Park Ave Tampa, FL 33606 Call: 813.251.2007