POLK COUNTY, Fla. — A 31-year-old woman is behind bars after authorities say she caused a deadly car crash early Sunday morning in Polk County while driving under the influence.
Quarpaesha Prather of Lakeland was charged with DUI manslaughter and taken to the Polk County Jail.
At 4:10 a.m., Prather was driving in her sedan eastbound on SR-400 in the outside lane, the Florida Highway Patrol said in a news release.
As Prather approached Galloway Road, troopers say her car overtook a second car and crashed into the rear of the vehicle.
Investigators say the collision spun the second car, causing it to flip onto the south shoulder of the highway. A 36-year-old woman who was driving was thrown out of the car and killed. The FHP says her passenger, a 44-year-old man, received only minor injuries.
Prather's sedan ended up on the south shoulder of the road, law enforcement says. She was later arrested.