HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. – A St. Petersburg man is behind bars after Florida Highway Patrol investigators determined he fled the scene of a fatal Seffner collision by calling a rideshare. Christopher Gage Everson, 27, was arrested at 11:00 AM on May 7, following a weeks-long investigation into the three-vehicle wreck.
The incident occurred late on the night of April 11 on SR-574, west of Chastain Road. According to FHP Sergeant Steve Gaskins, the chain reaction began when a Nissan Versa driven by 40-year-old Garry Baptiste crossed the center line.
Baptiste’s vehicle collided nearly head-on with a Volkswagen Passat driven by a 17-year-old male.
As the two cars spun across the asphalt, they were struck by a Ford F150 driven by Everson, who had been traveling behind the teenager. While both the 17-year-old and Baptiste were rushed to the hospital with serious injuries, the teenager later died.
Following the impact, authorities say Everson walked away from the wreckage on foot and summoned an Uber. He then used the rideshare to travel back to his home in St. Petersburg with his 8-year-old son, who was also in the truck during the crash.
Troopers eventually tracked Everson down and booked him into the Hillsborough County Jail. He faces a felony charge for leaving the scene of a crash involving death, a misdemeanor for failure to register a motor vehicle, and several traffic infractions, including following too closely and driving without insurance.
Garry Baptiste remains hospitalized and has been cited for careless driving for his role in the initial collision.
Please make a small donation to the Tampa Free Press to help sustain independent journalism. Your contribution enables us to continue delivering high-quality, local, and national news coverage.
Sign up: Subscribe to our free newsletter for a curated selection of top stories delivered straight to your inbox
