Troopers share video, details in wrong-way crash that killed Bradenton woman
The Florida Highway Patrol says a Lehigh Acres man was caught on video as he turned the wrong way on Interstate 75, moments before causing a crash that killed a Bradenton woman.
Troopers say the crash happened at 1:13 a.m. Sunday on I-75 North in Charlotte County, where the man’s Ford F-150 hit two vehicles.
Dennis Lee Olson, 53, is charged with Vehicular Homicide and DUI Manslaughter. He was booked into the Charlotte County Jail on Sunday, according to FHP. Troopers originally identified Olson as a Sarasota resident, but in a correction on Monday, the agency said he is from Lehigh Acres.
FHP also released new information about how Olson allegedly caused the fatal crash.
Troopers say Olson U-turned a 2020 Ford F-150 from the northbound I-75 lanes, around mile marker 150, and drove the wrong way down the interstate. A collision followed about 1 minute later near mile marker 148.5, FHP said.
The agency released a black-and-white video on Monday that troopers say shows Olson making the improper turn.
Authorities say that Olson collided with a Kia Optima and a Honda CRV, killing the driver of the Honda, a 21-year-old Bradenton woman. The driver and passengers of the Kia, a 34-year-old woman, a 15-year-old boy and a 12-year-old boy, all from Arcadia, were seriously injured as well.
After the collision, a Tesla Model 3, driven by a 19-year-old Sarasota woman, “sustained minor damage” when it ran into the crash debris, the FHP said.
Olson sustained “non-incapacitating” injuries, according to the FHP, and was taken to an area hospital before he was booked into jail.
The crash continues to be investigated by FHP’s Traffic Homicide Division, the agency said.
This story was originally published May 18, 2026 at 4:39 PM.
