Tampa Bay Injury Attorney Blog
HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, FL – A driver of a stolen white Ford Mustang struck a Florida Highway Patrol car and then hit an Uber Dodge Caravan head-on, claiming the lives of two people.
This collision was reported before 11 p.m. Wednesday on I-275 South. WPTV said the events of the crash unfolded when the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office and Florida Highway Patrol were called to a report of a stolen white Ford Mustang.
The person driving the Mustang had struck an FHP before fleeing away from the scene. A pursuit was brought about. Authorities again tried to stop the Mustang motorist — identified as 22-year-old Leosvany Arias Roman.
Roman tried to resist getting stopped and traveled south on top of the bridge, turned before hitting the same FHP vehicle.
After Roman hit the 27-year-old trooper (who was later hospitalized for minor wounds), he then hit the Dodge Caravan head-on.
The Dodge driver, who was identified as a 33-year-old adult, and one passenger, a 52-year-old, both succumbed to fatal wounds.
Roman and the two other Uber occupants — a 24-year-old and 51-year-old adult — were sent to area hospitals.
The severity of injuries the 24-year-old and 51-year-old sustained remain unclear. Roman’s were deemed serious.
Authorities are charging Roman with “felony murder, vehicular homicide, aggravated fleeing and eluding involving death, driving with a suspended license involving death and battery on a law enforcement officer.”
Florida Highway Patrol launched an investigation and temporarily closed I-275 before reopening after 6:40 a.m.
Our team of wrongful death lawyers at Whittel & Melton, LLC understands the pain and heartache that follows fatal motor vehicle wrecks. If you lost a loved one to a deadly crash caused by another party, our team of attorneys would like to help you and your family recover maximum compensation, which could account for the loss of income incurred from the collision and help with funeral expenses. We invite you to give us a call at 866-608-5529 or online for a free, zero-obligation case review.