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Clearwater man sentenced to seven years in prison for fatal DUI crash in Tampa

 
Timothy Wysocki
Timothy Wysocki
Published April 13, 2016

TAMPA — A 27-year-old Clearwater man who ran a red light at a Tampa intersection and killed a woman in 2013 was sentenced Monday to seven years in state prison.

Timothy Wysocki pleaded guilty to DUI manslaughter in a Hillsborough County courtroom as part of a plea deal negotiated between prosecutors and Wysocki's attorney. Hillsborough Circuit Judge Chet Tharpe accepted the plea with the blessing of the family of the woman who died, Bernadine Davis Smith of Riverview.

Wysocki was 25 when he drove his Mercedes-Benz through a red light at N Meridian Avenue and E Twiggs Street about 11:40 p.m. The Mercedes crashed into a 2007 Corolla driven by Daniel Galloway, 58, of Riverview.

Smith, 64, was one of three passengers in the car. She died at the scene of the accident, which occurred on Oct. 16, 2013.

Wysocki had been drinking at a charity event at a bowling alley and made another stop before the crash, Hillsborough Assistant State Attorney Barbara Coleman said. A police officer said Wysocki showed signs of alcohol impairment. He was taken to Tampa General Hospital, where officers used a search warrant to have a blood sample taken from him.

About two hours after the crash, his blood alcohol level was 0.186. That is more than twice the level, 0.08, at which a driver is presumed impaired under Florida law.

Wysocki, who worked for an insurance company at the time of the crash and had no prior criminal record, faced a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. But Smith's family agreed to the plea deal in part to avoid the ordeal of a trial, Coleman said.

Among other sanctions, Wysocki must serve eight years probation after his release and his driver's license was permanently revoked. "He took responsibility for this," said his attorney, Stephen Romine, "and the resolution permits a punishment for the act but also gives him the chance to look forward in his life and do something with it."

Smith was a well-liked woman who was active in her church and served as a mentor, Coleman said.

"I think everyone was pleased with the outcome," she said. "Good people make bad decisions and people die as a result, and this is a perfect example of that."

Contact Tony Marrero at tmarrero@tampabay.com or (813) 226-3374. Follow @tmarrerotimes.