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Unidentified driver killed when SUV going wrong way ignites inferno, Florida cops say

The victim who died in this pickup early Sunday, July 28, has yet to be identified, the Florida Highway Patrol says.
The victim who died in this pickup early Sunday, July 28, has yet to be identified, the Florida Highway Patrol says. Florida Highway Patrol photo

A driver faces a DUI manslaughter charge after he ignited a deadly truck fire while driving on the wrong side of the road, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

The other driver involved in the crash died in the fire and he has yet to be identified, officials said in a news release.

Kevin Jomell Marshall, 37, of Seffner, was arrested after being released from a hospital, the highway patrol said.

The crash happened around 3 a.m. on Sunday, July 28, in the Wesley Chapel area of Pasco County, about a 25-mile drive northeast from downtown Tampa.

Investigators say Marshall was driving his Dodge Durango westbound in the eastbound lanes of State Road 56 and “collided nearly head-on” with a Chevy Silverado pickup.

“Upon impact, both vehicles rotated with (Marshall) coming to final rest in the travel lanes and (the pickup) traveling to the outside shoulder, overturning, and bursting into flames,” the highway patrol says. “(The driver) suffered fatal injuries.”

The Silverado driver was not removed from his vehicle until after the fire was extinguished, officials said. A medical examiner will determine his cause of death, officials said.

Marshall was traveling with his 33-year-old wife at the time and both were hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries, officials said.

He was charged with DUI manslaughter and DUI property damage, officials said.

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This story was originally published July 29, 2024 at 7:41 AM with the headline "Unidentified driver killed when SUV going wrong way ignites inferno, Florida cops say."

MP
Mark Price
The Charlotte Observer
Mark Price is a state reporter for The Charlotte Observer and McClatchy News outlets in North Carolina. He joined the network of newspapers in 1991 at The Charlotte Observer, covering beats including schools, crime, immigration, LGBTQ issues, homelessness and nonprofits. He graduated from the University of Memphis with majors in journalism and art history, and a minor in geology. 
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