Troopers from the Florida Highway Patrol responded to a wrong-way driver crash this morning on Interstate 75 at mile marker 228 in Manatee County.
According to the FHP report, at approximately 4 am, a sport utility driven by a 45-year-old Wellington man was traveling south on the northbound lanes of Interstate 75, near mile marker 228.
At the same time, three vehicles were traveling north on Interstate 75.
As they approached, the front of the SUV collided with the second vehicle, a pickup truck driven by a 58-year-old Port Charlotte woman.
After the collision, a third vehicle collided with crash debris, entered the median, and collided with the cable barrier. A fourth vehicle collided with crash debris and sustained minor damage.
After an exhaustive on-scene criminal investigation, the FHP placed the wrong-way driver, Luis Alfredo Manzoni Diez, 45, of Wellington, under arrest for Driving Under the Influence and booked him into the Manatee County Jail. Manzoni Diez submitted a .158 BAC breath sample, which is nearly twice the legal limit.
The driver of the second vehicle and a female passenger sustained serious injuries in the crash, according to the report.
The FHP did not release the names of the drivers or passengers involved in the collision, except for Manzoni Diez.
This breaking news story may be updated if more details are known.
