PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. – A wrong-way driver caused a severe accident on the I-275 Skyway Bridge, leaving an off-duty Hillsborough Sheriff’s Deputy seriously injured.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP), around 9:53 pm, on Wednesday, troopers received reports of a red Dodge Ram pickup truck traveling northbound in the southbound lanes of I-275. A Trooper attempted to stop the vehicle, but the driver, later identified as 25-year-old Yosman Alexander Ixpata Xitumul, evaded them at high speed.
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Minutes later, Xitumul’s vehicle collided nearly head-on with a white Ford F150 driven by a 33-year-old off-duty Hillsborough Sheriff’s Deputy near the 17 Milepost. Xitumul then fled the scene on foot but was apprehended by St. Petersburg Police Officers.
Both Xitumul and the off-duty Deputy sustained serious injuries and were transported to a hospital.
Xitumul, who was found to be impaired with a blood alcohol level more than three times the legal limit, faces multiple charges, including Aggravated Flee to Elude, Reckless Driving, Leaving the Scene, DUI, and Driving While License Suspended.
The exact location where Xitumul began driving in the wrong direction remains unknown.
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