HERNANDO COUNTY, Fla. — A driver was arrested for DUI manslaughter after a fatal crash Wednesday evening in Hernando County.
The Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) said around 6:58 p.m., a Ford F150 was speeding north on Mariner Boulevard south of Quality Drive. When the driver, Reinier Casola Rodriguez, 38, failed to negotiate a curve in the road, the truck entered the center median.
The passenger in the front seat, a 34-year-old man who wasn't wearing a seatbelt, then fell out of the truck. The truck continued traveling to the west shoulder before hitting a utility box.
Officials said Rodriguez fled the scene on foot but was later found by deputies of the Hernando County Sheriff's Office while they followed a K-9 track around one mile from the crash.
The passenger who fell out was taken to a local hospital but later passed away from his injuries. Two other men in the truck, 29 and 47, had minor injuries and were not taken to the hospital, but Rodriguez was taken for his minor injuries.
FHP troopers determined that Rodriguez was impaired, leading to his arrest for DUI manslaughter, leaving the scene of a crash involving death, driving while license suspended involving a death, and felony battery for allegedly striking a nurse who attempted to provide him medical care.
Rodriguez, who refused to provide a breath test or blood sample, was taken to the Hernando County Jail after he received care.
