According to the Tampa Bay Reporter, a hit-and-run crash in the Tampa Bay area, on Missouri Avenue, left a motorcyclist dead and a Clearwater woman in jail, according to information released by the Largo Police Department.
A 24-year-old woman from Clearwater was charged with several felonies after a crash on Saturday evening, just after 10:30 pm, on South Missouri Avenue near Bayview Drive in Largo. She was driving northbound on Missouri Avenue at a very high speed in a 2016 Jeep Cherokee when she made a rapid lane change and struck a 2019 Can Am motorcycle. The motorcyclist was flung from the bike due to the impact, and the woman drove away without stopping.
Largo Police located the Jeep and the Clearwater woman was the registered owner; witnesses corroborated that she was the driver of the vehicle when it hit the motorcyclist. She is being charged with one count each of Driving Under The Influence (DUI) Manslaughter, Leaving the Scene of a Crash Involving Death, and Obstruction by Disguised Person.
The identity of the motorcyclist was not released by authorities, but he was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. The crash is a stark reminder that it’s important to always be sober before getting behind the wheel.