Bradenton man was high on fentanyl in fatal DUI crash, troopers say. He got prison time
A Bradenton man accused of hitting and killing another driver while under the influence of fentanyl is set to spend the next decade in prison, Manatee County court records say.
Michael Delaney, 34, pleaded no contest to charges of manslaughter while driving under the influence more than five years after detectives say he ran a red light at a Bradenton intersection, fatally striking a 79-year-old man from Quebec, Canada.
Circuit Court Judge Matt Whyte sentenced Delaney to 13 years in prison with credit for time served and two years of probation. Delaney must also undergo substance abuse and mental health evaluations. Court records show Delaney has served a little under six months in jail.
Whyte also permanently revoked Delany’s driver’s license, according to court records.
Delaney’s attorney did not immediately respond to the Bradenton Herald’s request for comment.
Troopers with the Florida Highway Patrol responded to a crash on Feb. 27, 2019, at the intersection of 34th Street West and El Conquistador Parkway in Bradenton, according to an arrest report.
Bradenton man gets prison after fatal DUI crash
An investigation determined that Delaney, who was driving a white Ford E-150 van southbound on 34th Street West, ran a red light at El Conquistador Parkway and slammed into a Lexus RX 350 in the intersection, according to the report. Troopers say this caused the Lexus to collide with a dump truck that was traveling in the lane beside it.
Paramedics brought the driver of the Lexus, Ross Edward Christie, to HCA Florida Blake Hospital, where he died from his injuries.
Delaney was also seriously injured in the accident but made a recovery, the sheriff’s office said.
The driver of the dump truck, a 49-year-old man from Bradenton, was not injured in the crash.
Witnesses told detectives Delaney was driving erratically in the lead-up to the crash, according to an arrest report. One witness said Delaney was swerving so much he almost hit a kid riding his bike on the sidewalk on 34th Street West.
Fentanyl was in driver’s system, report says
When detectives attempted to interview Delaney in the months following the crash, they say he refused to speak to them.
A toxicology report later revealed fentanyl was present in Delaney’s blood before he arrived at the hospital to receive treatment the day of the crash, detectives said.
A forensic toxicologist who examined a blood sample from Delaney told troopers the erratic driving described by witnesses is “consistent with drug-impaired driving,” according to to an arrest report.
More than two years after the crash, detectives with the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office obtained a warrant for Delaney’s arrest in March 2021 and charged him with DUI manslaughter, according to court records.
DUI manslaughter is a second-degree felony in Florida with a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.
