Fox Channel 13 Tampa Bay News reported recently that a local man is facing charges of vehicular manslaughter, driving under the influence of drugs, alcohol, or other intoxicants (DUI), and DUI manslaughter after a fatal motor vehicle accident that closed a portion of the Courtney Campbell Causeway on the evening of Saturday, April 24, 2021.
According to a press release issued by officials with the Clearwater Police Department and the Florida Highway Patrol, the incident occurred between 11:15 a.m. and 11:25 a.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) on Saturday, April 24, 2021 along the Courtney Campbell Causeway in Clearwater. A man from Pinellas Park, 29 years of age, was traveling eastbound on the Courtney Campbell Causeway when the DUI suspect, a man 57 years of age, ignored cones and other traffic calming devices designed to prevent left turns and made a left turn in front of the Pinellas Park man, who was riding a motorcycle. The impact proved fatal for the Pinellas Park man, while the suspect suffered only minor injuries.
The motorcyclist died at the scene, and the suspect allegedly showed signs of impairment and was taken to Morton Plant Hospital. He allegedly admitted to smoking crack cocaine that day, and also left a medical facility that day against medical advice after being given multiple narcotics following surgery. He was arrested and booked into Pinellas County jail.