TAMPA, Fla. — A 37-year-old Tampa man died from his injuries in a crash caused by a drunken driver early Sunday morning, the Florida Highway Patrol said.
Yudelkis Portes, a 42-year-old Tampa woman, was charged with DUI manslaughter for the crash, which happened around 2:30 a.m. on Hillsborough Avenue at the northbound exit ramp from the Veterans Expressway, according to an FHP news release.
Troopers say the man was a passenger inside a Dodge Journey van driven by Portes. She was heading east adjacent to a red Honda Odyssey van when it and the Journey ran a red light, authorities continued.
The Odyssey crashed into a Dodge Charger driven by a 24-year-old Jacksonville man, which caused his car to hit the Journey. It then overturned, throwing the 37-year-old Tampa man partially out of the van.
He died at the scene of the crash, troopers said, while the Jacksonville man was not hurt. Portes was not hurt, either, FHP added.
The driver of the Odyssey, believed to be a 2005-07 model, drove off.
Anyone with information about the crash or the wanted Odyssey that's believed to have passenger-side damage is asked to call the Florida Highway Patrol at *FHP or Crime Stoppers at **TIPS.
