Plant City man arrested after fatal crash in which car split in 2 pieces
A 20-year-old Plant City man is facing charges of DUI manslaughter and vehicular homicide after he crashed into another car on Saturday, causing it to split in two pieces and throw a female passenger from the vehicle, the Florida Highway Patrol reported.
Troopers arrested Rodolfo Frias, 20, on Sunday. According to an arrest affidavit, the crash occurred at the intersection of State Road 574 (E Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard) and Forbes Road in unincorporated Plant City in Hillsborough County.
Frias was driving a 2007 GMC Sierra pickup truck east on State Road 574. Meanwhile, a 43-year-old Hillsborough County man was going west in the left-turn lane of State Road 574 in a Mazda M3S, according to the affidavit.
The affidavit lists a Hillsborough County deputy, David Capp, as a witness to the crash. Capp had spotted Frias driving at a high speed prior to the incident, Steve Gaskins, a spokesperson for the Florida Highway Patrol, said.
According to Capp, Frias crossed over double yellow lines and passed eastbound traffic. Frias then sped up to “an extremely high speed,” the affidavit said. Capp told troopers he was driving 75 mph when he “attempted to overtake” Frias. However, Frias was able to pull away from him, the affidavit said.
The 43-year-old man driving the Mazda began a left turn as Frias was approaching, the affidavit said. The front portion of Frias’ GMC collided with the right side of the Mazda.
After the crash, both cars traveled east, across the southeast corner of the intersection. The force of the crash split the Mazda in two pieces, the affidavit said.
The crash threw a female passenger from the Mazda, the affidavit said. The front half of the Mazda came to a stop on the southeast corner of the intersection, on top of the woman.
The truck stopped on the shoulder of State Road 574, and the other half of the Mazda stopped east of the truck.
A paramedic pronounced the female passenger dead at the scene. The 43-year-old driver was taken to Lakeland Regional Medical Center with serious injuries. Their names were not released.
According to the arrest affidavit, troopers found bottles of Modelo beer scattered across the floor of Frias’ truck, and a large bottle of Modelo was on the dashboard in front of the steering wheel.
According to the affidavit, Frias showed signs of intoxication while interacting with an investigator. Troopers asked Frias to perform a field sobriety test, which he refused, according to the affidavit.
Frias smelled of alcohol and had bloodshot, watery eyes, the affidavit states.
After the investigator read Frias his Miranda rights, Frias admitted to drinking Modelos and smoking marijuana several hours before the crash. Frias also declined to provide a voluntary blood sample, the affidavit said.
Frias was being held Monday at the Falkenburg Road Jail without bail, according to Hillsborough County jail records.
