Man in town for sister's funeral was killed in crash. The other driver has been arrested
BELLEVIEW − Florida Highway Patrol troopers arrested a Belleview man early Wednesday in connection with a 2022 traffic crash that killed one person and injured him and one other person.
Dylan Lee Tucker was taken into custody at his residence by Cpl. Justin Bard, a traffic homicide investigator, without incident. Tucker is charged with DUI manslaughter, vehicular homicide and DUI with property damage.
Tucker, 26, was taken to the county jail, where he was being held without bail.
Court records show that from 2021 to the present, Tucker has been adjudicated guilty of improper U-turn, improper passing-cutting in while overtaking, and driving while license is suspended, unknowingly.
About the crash
On Oct. 22, 2022, FHP officials were called to a wreck in front of Market of Marion along U.S. 441, not far from the Belleview city limits. The crash happened shortly before 1:30 a.m.
Authorities said an older model Dodge pickup truck was traveling north on U.S. 441 in the inside lane. Troopers said the driver was attempting to make a U-turn when the vehicle collided with a newer model Cadillac CT5 in the southbound lanes of U.S. 441.
Upon impact, the vehicles went off the roadway and onto the westbound grassy shoulder.
The occupants of the Dodge, a couple from Virginia, were transported to separate hospitals, troopers said. The driver, later identified as John South II, was taken to HCA Florida Ocala Hospital, where he died. He was 52. South's wife, Donna, 51, went to AdventHealth Ocala Hospital for treatment of serious injuries. She was later released, officials said.
FHP officials said the husband and wife were visiting Marion County to attend the funeral of John South's sister.
Tucker was hospitalized at HCA Florida Ocala Hospital. He was treated and later released.
Bard's investigation
Bard was told by a trooper that county fire officials smelled alcohol on Tucker's breath when he was transported to the hospital.
The investigator said in the report there was evidence that Tucker's speed was a factor in the crash. Using reconstruction formulas and records from an event data recorder, Bard determined that at the time of collision, Tucker's vehicle was going about 102 mph. Roughly seconds before the wreck, Tucker's vehicle accelerated to 126 mph-137 mph. The speed limit on that part of the road is 55 mph.
A search warrant for Tucker's medical records was served on the hospital. Investigators obtained blood and urine samples.
A toxicology report showed Tucker's blood-alcohol content registered at 0.178, which is more than twice the state's legal limit of 0.08, according to the arrest report.
Contact Austin L. Miller at austin.miller@starbanner.com or @almillerosb
This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Driver charged with DUI manslaughter for October 2022 crash
