Early on Wednesday, November 13th, six people were flown to nearby hospitals after a driver suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI) slammed into two cars stopped along the outside lane of I-75 near Wesley Chapel in Florida. Occupants from two of the cars were outside changing a flat tire.
According to details provided by the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP), one of the cars in the outside lane had a flat tire, and both cars had activated their emergency flashers. John Hegarty of Wesley Chapel was approaching the stopped vehicles in the outside lane. He apparently attempted to change lanes, but failed to maintain control of his vehicle.
As a result, Hegarty crashed into the first stopped car from the rear, propelling it forward into the other car parked in front of it. The vehicle occupants, who had been standing between and around the stopped vehicles, were then struck by the colliding vehicles.
According to FHP, the six injured pedestrians were Brittany Vaughn, 19, Erica Berry, 22, and Mariya Peterman, 17, Jerrick Vann, 24, Nagy Ferguson, 24, and Kenneth Collins, 19, were divided up and transported to both St. Joseph’s Hospital and Tampa General. All six people suffered serious injuries.
Hegarty, age 47, was arrested on the charge of felony DUI; causing serious bodily injury with a BAC of 0.10 or above. Additional charges pending against Hegarty include driving while license suspended with knowledge, failing to drive in designated lane, and a violation of business purposes only driving restrictions.
References:
ABC 7 News
