A man from Tampa was alleged to have fled from the scene of a deadly DUI accident on Wednesday. As per a statement from the Florida Highway Patrol, the incident occurred on Mariner Blvd. between Quality Drive and County Line Road shortly before 7 p.m.
Reinier Casola Rodriguez, 38, of Tampa, was driving a Ford F-150 pickup truck that veered off the road, striking the central median.
The passenger in the front seat, a 34-year-old man from West Palm Beach, was not wearing a seatbelt and was ejected from the truck.
The truck swerved onto the roadside and eventually came to a halt after hitting a utility box.
Rodriguez was accused of fleeing the scene and was apprehended about a mile away by a K-9 unit from the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office, according to the FHP.
The front seat passenger was transported to the hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries. Two men from Miami, who were also in the pickup during the crash, sustained minor injuries and did not require hospitalization.
Rodriguez was taken to the hospital with minor injuries and was alleged to have assaulted a nurse who was treating him.
Despite his refusal to provide a breath or blood sample for testing, FHP officers determined that he was under the influence at the time of the accident.
Following his release from the hospital, he was transported to the Hernando County Jail.
Rodriguez faced charges of DUI manslaughter, leaving the scene of a fatal accident, driving with a suspended license (resulting in a fatality), and felony battery.
