Dade City woman, 27, killed in collision with drunk driver, troopers say

RIDGE MANOR — One woman was seriously injured and another was killed after their car was struck nearly head-on by a drunk driver early Tuesday morning, the Florida Highway Patrol said.

The crash happened just before 3 a.m. on State Road 50 near Little Green Lane, troopers said.

Kevin Patrick Kells, 23, of Clermont, has been arrested on a charge of DUI manslaughter in the crash, the Highway Patrol said. He was not injured in the crash.

Troopers say Kells was driving west on State Road 50 in a construction zone when he lost control of his 2020 Jeep Cherokee and entered the path of an eastbound 2004 Toyota Corolla.

A 33-year-old woman from Brooksville was driving the Corolla. She was seriously injured and her passenger, a 27-year-old woman from Dade City, suffered fatal injuries. Kells and both women were wearing seatbelts.

The Highway Patrol did not release the women’s names because of its interpretation of Marsy’s Law, an amendment to the Florida Constitution.

Kells was being held at the Hernando County Jail in lieu of a $31,500 bail.