{"id":1313,"date":"2026-05-21T22:07:56","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T22:07:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tampamovingjournal.com\/?p=1313"},"modified":"2026-05-21T22:07:56","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T22:07:56","slug":"family-asks-community-to-lovelikelauryn-as-they-remember-usf-student-killed-in-wrong-way-dui-crash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tampamovingjournal.com\/?p=1313","title":{"rendered":"Family asks community to #lovelikelauryn, as they remember USF student killed in wrong-way DUI crash"},"content":{"rendered":"
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PUNTA GORDA, Fla.<\/strong> – <\/span>Lauryn Akey’s smile radiates from every photo. The 21-year-old from Bradenton lived her life to the fullest, whether she was cheering on her University of South Florida Bulls with her mom and her best friend, spending hours fishing on the water with her boyfriend, or attending concerts to see her favorite artist, Taylor Swift.<\/p>\n

Read more Historic 1925 Milam Mansion hits the market on Davis Islands<\/a><\/p>\n

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Wrong-way DUI driver arrested in deadly crash<\/h2>\n

The backstory:<\/p>\n

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The Florida Highway Patrol said Akey’s life was cut short early Sunday morning by a\u00a0driver going the wrong way on Interstate 75 in Charlotte County. She was driving home from a wedding and had texted her family just minutes before the crash to tell them she had gotten gas and loved them.<\/p>\n

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Courtesy: Melinda Mucho<\/span> <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Now, Akey’s mother, Melinda Mucho, is working to focus on the joy and profound love her daughter brought to everyone who knew her.<\/p>\n

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Family remembers Akey’s kindness<\/h2>\n

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What they’re saying:<\/p>\n

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“I just want everyone to know who she is and her spirit. And how she loved everyone. She was so kind,” Mucho said.<\/p>\n

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Akey was preparing for a future dedicated to helping others. After graduating from USF next year, she planned to become a nurse.<\/p>\n

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“She would have done amazing things,” Mucho said. “Her life was just on the horizon; her life was just getting started with her boyfriend. She was going to graduate next year, and I want everyone to see her and feel that.”<\/p>\n

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#lovelikelauryn movement<\/h2>\n

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Big picture view:<\/p>\n

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In the wake of the tragedy, Akey’s friends started the hashtag #lovelikelauryn, creating a space on social media where her impact is being shared.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Read more Tennessee halts man\u2019s execution after failing to find a vein for injection, attorney says<\/a><\/p>\n

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“You can look her up and see how loved she is. I just want everyone to feel that,” Mucho said. “You can feel it by looking at her smile. I want everyone to see her and be like her. She was never mean to anybody. She brought people together, so many people together. Loved hard, loved so hard.”<\/p>\n

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Driver facing DUI manslaughter, vehicular homicide charges<\/h2>\n

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FHP said Dennis Lee Olson, 53, of Lehigh Acres, was driving drunk when his Ford F-150 made a U-turn into oncoming traffic on I-75, hitting Akey’s car and another vehicle. Test results showed Olson’s blood alcohol level was .222, nearly three times Florida’s legal limit.<\/p>\n

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Courtesy: Melinda Mucho<\/span> <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Olson, who has a prior driving while impaired conviction from Minnesota, is facing charges of vehicular homicide and DUI manslaughter. A Charlotte County judge ordered him to be held without bond.<\/p>\n

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Additional charges possible\u00a0<\/h2>\n

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What’s next:<\/p>\n

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The state attorney’s office indicated Olson could face additional charges, as the crash also seriously injured a woman and two children from Arcadia in a separate vehicle, leaving one child requiring surgery.<\/p>\n

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Akey’s family is asking those who were impacted by her everlasting legacy to help keep it shining bright.<\/p>\n

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“I want to focus on be like her, look at her love and how she treats everyone and be that sparkler and light in this world. Because everyone is better because of it,” Mucho said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Read more Three major hospital systems accuse CVS of secretly siphoning hundreds of millions in drug savings<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A 21-year-old University of South Florida student, Lauryn Akey, was killed early Sunday when the Florida Highway Patrol says a drunk driver who was traveling the wrong way on I-75, struck her vehicle. 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