Drivers suspected of DUI in two wrong-way crashes on I-75 in Manatee, Sarasota
Two wrong-way crashes happened on Interstate 75 this weekend near Bradenton and Sarasota, and the Florida Highway Patrol said both drivers are suspected of driving under the influence.
A 23-year-old Palm Harbor man was driving the wrong way near mile marker 227 in Manatee County when he crashed into an SUV, according to a Florida Highway Patrol report.
FHP said he was driving a BMW sedan north in the southbound lane and hit the front of a Chevrolet SUV that was traveling south at 1:18 a.m. Monday.
A 70-year-old Port Charlotte man was driving the SUV and had a 69-year-old Port Charlotte woman as a passenger. Both drivers and the SUV passenger were taken to an area hospital with injuries, FHP said.
FHP said a DUI investigation is ongoing and charges are pending.
It was the second wrong way crash on I-75 in the area in less than 24 hours.
Around 5 a.m. Sunday, a 21-year-old Spring Hill man drove the wrong way when he headed south in the northbound lane near the Bee Ridge Road exit in Sarasota County, FHP said.
He hit the right side rear trailer portion of the semi-truck tanker trailer driven by a 35-year-old Ruskin man heading north in the central northbound lane on I-75, FHP said.
The Spring Hill man was arrested on a charge of driving under the influence, FHP said.
Farther south on Sunday near mile marker 188 in Sarasota County, a 19-year-old Port Charlotte man died when he lost control of his car and flipped his car in air into a grass median embankment, FHP said.
This story was originally published June 5, 2023 at 10:02 AM.
