{"id":962,"date":"2026-05-18T22:05:36","date_gmt":"2026-05-18T22:05:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tampamovingjournal.com\/?p=962"},"modified":"2026-05-18T22:05:36","modified_gmt":"2026-05-18T22:05:36","slug":"florida-drunk-driver-nearly-3-times-legal-limit-arrested-after-deadly-wrong-way-i-75-crash-fhp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tampamovingjournal.com\/?p=962","title":{"rendered":"Florida drunk driver nearly 3 times legal limit arrested after deadly wrong-way I-75 crash: FHP"},"content":{"rendered":"

PUNTA GORDA, Fla.<\/strong> – <\/span>A single decision on Interstate 75 destroyed the lives of multiple families and left a 21-year-old driver dead in Charlotte County over the weekend.<\/p>

Read more Demolition begins on historic Wallace Stovall Tampa Tribune building<\/a><\/p>

According to the Florida Highway Patrol, Dennis Lee Olson, 53, of Lehigh Acres, was drunk early Sunday morning when he triggered a wrong-way crash on I-75.\u00a0<\/p>

Olson faces felony charges of vehicular homicide and DUI manslaughter. He remains locked behind bars in the Charlotte County Jail, held without bond.<\/p>

The backstory:<\/p>

<\/div>

It was just after 1 a.m. Sunday, FDOT traffic cameras near mile marker 150 in Charlotte County captured a chilling sight: a Ford F-150 making a complete U-turn directly into the northbound lanes of I-75.<\/p>

“This is someone who made a horrible decision, and it cost someone their life and seriously injured three other people,” FHP Trooper Ken Watson said.<\/p>

Bradenton woman killed, children seriously injured<\/h2>

Troopers say Olson was driving drunk \u2014 with a blood alcohol level of .222, measuring nearly three times the legal limit. His truck hit two oncoming cars. The\u00a0impact killed a 21-year-old female driver from Bradenton and left a woman in a second vehicle and her 12-year-old and 15-year-old passengers with serious injuries.\u00a0<\/p>

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n

Courtesy: Florida Highway Patrol<\/span> <\/p> <\/div><\/div>

A third vehicle collided with debris on the road from the crash, sustaining minor damage and no reported injuries.<\/p>

Read more $9.6 million Bartow pedestrian bridge connects Fort Fraser Trail<\/a><\/p>

What they’re saying:<\/p>

“By planning ahead, this tragedy could have most certainly been avoided,” Watson said. “Now, we have several families who have been destroyed, including the driver himself, who is now looking at several years behind bars.”<\/p>

Suspect previously arrested for DWI<\/h2>

A look into Olson’s background reveals this was not his first time operating a vehicle under the influence. Olson held a Minnesota driver’s license, and court records from that state show a\u00a0history of driving drunk.<\/p>

In 2019, the South St. Paul Police Department arrested Olson for a misdemeanor DWI. Following that arrest, he was placed on probation for two years and court records show he took a Mothers Against Drunk Driving class.<\/p>

“100% preventable”<\/h2>

Why you should care:<\/p>

“This is a situation that is 100% preventable,” Larry Coggins, the state director of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, said. “This is becoming more of a norm unfortunately, where we have impaired drivers and intoxicated drivers that have zero care and concern for themselves or for everybody else.”\u00a0<\/p>

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n <\/div>

Both Coggins and FHP emphasize that there are several options available to prevent an impaired person from driving. From designated drivers to rideshares and traditional taxis, resources exist that could have completely averted Sunday’s crash. The tragedy remains a stark, painful reminder of how quickly alcohol overrides human judgment.<\/p>

“We know that nobody leaves the house and says, \u2018I\u2019m going to get into a crash tonight, I\u2019m going to kill someone tonight, or I\u2019m going to get a DUI tonight.\u2019 Nobody says that,” Coggins said. “The problem is as soon as an intoxicant [is] in the blood stream, logic goes out the window.”<\/p>

Read more Tampa\u2019s Special Operations Forces Week helps military members transition, navigate daily life<\/a><\/p> <\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A single decision on Interstate 75 destroyed the lives of multiple families and left a 21-year-old driver dead in Charlotte County over the weekend.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":960,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,25],"tags":[8,26],"class_list":["post-962","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-crime-and-public-safety","category-florida","tag-crime-and-public-safety","tag-florida"],"yoast_head":"\nFlorida drunk driver nearly 3 times legal limit arrested after deadly wrong-way I-75 crash: FHP - Tampa moving journal<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/tampamovingjournal.com\/?p=962\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Florida drunk driver nearly 3 times legal limit arrested after deadly wrong-way I-75 crash: FHP - 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