Florida man with BAC nearly three times legal limit kills woman on wrong-way I-75 drive

A 53-year-old Florida man who was allegedly driving the wrong way along a motorway — and later told troopers he was having a "bad" night — has been charged in connection with the death of a 21-year-old woman.

The charges and the crash

Dennis Olson stands accused of DUI manslaughter and vehicular homicide in the death of Lauryn Akey. According to a probable cause arrest affidavit, Olson was driving a Ford F-150 southbound in the northbound lanes of I-75 near mile marker 149 in Charlotte County at shortly after 1 a.m. on 17 May.

Florida Highway Patrol troopers stated that Olson first sideswiped a Kia Optima before continuing in the wrong direction. He then struck Akey's Honda CR-V head-on. Akey was ejected from her vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene.

Olson's condition and account

A witness helped Olson out of his truck and observed that his speech was slurred, according to troopers. When officers spoke with him at the scene, Olson allegedly admitted he had been driving and said he was having a "bad" night. He claimed to have come from Sip & Sizzle in Fort Myers, where he said he had consumed a single glass of wine.

A blood draw told a different story: his blood alcohol concentration (BAC) was recorded at 0.222 — nearly three times the legal limit. Following his discharge from hospital, he was transported to Charlotte County Jail, where he remains held without bond.

Lauryn Akey: a life just beginning

Akey's family revealed she had been on her way home from a wedding when the crash occurred. She had just stopped for petrol and sent text messages to family members telling them she loved them and that she was almost home. Moments later, she was dead.

Her mother, Melinda Mucho, told reporters that Lauryn had been due to graduate from the University of South Florida the following year with a degree in exercise science. She had aspired to become a nurse.

"She would have done amazing things. Her life was just on the horizon; her life was just getting started with her boyfriend. She was going to graduate next year, and I want everyone to see her and feel that."

Mucho also spoke of the outpouring of love from those who knew her daughter: "You can look her up and see how loved she is. I just want everyone to feel that. You can feel it by looking at her smile.

"I want everyone to see her and be like her. She was never mean to anybody. She brought people together, so many people together. Loved hard, loved so hard."

Friends of Akey launched the hashtag #lovelikelauryn across social media in her honour.

Prior conviction and next court date

Olson is reported to have a previous drunk-driving conviction in Minnesota, where he also drove the wrong way along a road. His next court appearance in the Florida case is scheduled for 15 June.