ST. PETERSBURG — A 22-year-old man faces a charge of DUI manslaughter in a Monday night crash that killed his 23-year-old passenger, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
The incident took place around 9 p.m. according to the FHP. Driver Samual T. Thibodeau, 22 and 23-year-old Melissa M. Hutchinson were traveling in a 2000 Cadillac SLS, headed south in the inside lane on Interstate 275, approaching the Interstate 375 interchange.
The FHP said as he entered center lane he lost control while weaving back into the inside lane. The car rotated, went onto the inside paved shoulder of the roadway and slammed into the guardrail before flipping over, troopers said.
Hutchinson died at the scene, according to the FHP. Thibodeau was taken to Bayfront Health St. Petersburg for treatment of minor injuries. He was then arrested on a charge of DUI manslaughter and booked into the Pinellas County jail around 2:45 a.m. He was still there Tuesday afternoon, where he was being held in lieu of $10,000 bail.