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Last Updated on May 18, 2026 by Kaiser Romanello
A Message from Kaiser Romanello Accident and Injury Attorneys
Just after 1 a.m. on Sunday, May 17, 2026, a 21-year-old Bradenton woman was killed when a wrong-way driver slammed into her Honda CR-V on Interstate 75 in Charlotte County. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, a 53-year-old Sarasota man was driving his Ford F-150 south in the northbound lanes of I-75 when he collided with multiple vehicles. He has been charged with vehicular homicide and DUI manslaughter.
Three other people — a 34-year-old Arcadia mother and her two sons, ages 12 and 15 — were hospitalized with serious injuries after their Kia Optima was also struck. A fourth driver sustained only minor vehicle damage from debris.
Our hearts go out to the young woman’s family and to every person whose life was forever changed by this crash. At Kaiser Romanello Accident and Injury Attorneys, we have represented Florida families through the unimaginable aftermath of fatal and catastrophic DUI crashes for decades. The information below is for the families and survivors who, in the days ahead, will be forced to navigate a legal system most people never expected to encounter.
Wrong-Way Crashes Are Among Florida’s Deadliest
Wrong-way driving crashes account for only a fraction of all collisions on Florida’s interstates, but they kill at a wildly disproportionate rate. The Florida Department of Transportation and federal highway data consistently show that wrong-way crashes are nearly always head-on, nearly always at full highway speed, and overwhelmingly involve impaired drivers. The combined kinetic energy of two vehicles closing at 140 miles per hour or more leaves victims with little chance, even when they are wearing seat belts and driving safe vehicles.
The victims of these crashes share something in common: they did everything right. They were in the correct lane, traveling the correct direction, often at lawful speeds, when someone else’s choice to drive impaired changed everything in an instant.
What Florida Law Gives the Family of a Fatal-Crash Victim
Under Florida’s Wrongful Death Act, certain surviving family members — typically including parents, spouses, and children of the person killed — have the legal right to bring a civil claim against the at-fault driver and other responsible parties. The damages recoverable in a Florida wrongful death case can include:
- Medical, hospital, and emergency care expenses incurred before death.
- Funeral and burial expenses.
- Lost support and services the deceased provided to surviving family members.
- Loss of companionship, instruction, and guidance — the irreplaceable presence of a daughter, sister, spouse, or parent.
- Mental pain and suffering of surviving parents (for the loss of a minor or, in some cases, an adult child) and surviving spouses.
- Punitive damages, which Florida law specifically allows in cases involving driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
Florida’s Dram Shop Law: When the Bar or Restaurant Can Be Held Responsible
Many people assume that the bar or restaurant that overserved a drunk driver can always be sued. In Florida, the answer is more nuanced. Florida Statute § 768.125 generally protects vendors from civil liability for serving alcohol to an of-age adult. The statute carves out two important exceptions where vendors can be held responsible:
- Serving alcohol to a person who is not of lawful drinking age (under 21).
- Knowingly serving alcohol to a person “habitually addicted to the use of any or all alcoholic beverages.” Proof of habitual addiction is fact-intensive and often comes from prior visits, prior arrests, and witness testimony.
Florida’s dram shop law is narrower than the laws of many other states, but in the right case, it adds a layer of insurance coverage and a deeper pocket that can be the difference between an empty judgment and full justice for the victim’s family.
Insurance Layers in a DUI Crash — Don’t Stop at the Driver’s Policy
The minimum auto liability insurance limits required in Florida are notoriously low — in many cases far less than what is needed to make a catastrophically injured family whole. A complete investigation should always look at every potentially applicable layer of coverage, including:
- The at-fault driver’s auto liability policy (bodily injury limits).
- Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist (UM/UIM) coverage on the victim’s own auto policy or that of a household resident — often the single most important coverage in fatal DUI cases.
- Personal Injury Protection (PIP) for medical care of the injured — a $10,000 no-fault benefit that must be accessed within 14 days of the crash.
- Commercial or employer-provided coverage if the at-fault driver was on the clock or driving a company vehicle.
- Umbrella or excess liability policies, which are common on high-value vehicles like late-model pickup trucks.
- Dram shop or social host coverage where applicable.
If You Were Hurt in This Crash
If you, a family member, or someone you know was injured in the May 17 crash on I-75 — including the mother and the children riding in the Kia Optima — the most important thing you can do, after addressing immediate medical needs, is preserve your right to a full recovery. Do not give a recorded statement to any insurance company — even your own — before speaking with a lawyer. Do not sign a release or accept a quick check. Critical evidence — toxicology results, surveillance footage, vehicle event-data-recorder downloads, witness statements, and 911 audio — begins to disappear within days.
Why Acting Quickly Matters
Florida has a statute of limitations on personal injury and wrongful death cases. The faster a qualified attorney is involved, the faster letters of preservation can be sent, surveillance footage subpoenaed, and the at-fault driver’s history (prior DUIs, prior addiction, last establishments visited) reconstructed. Defense attorneys and insurance carriers are already working. Families should not face them alone.
Free Case Review — Available 24/7
Kaiser Romanello Accident and Injury Attorneys represents grieving families and DUI crash survivors throughout the State of Florida — from Bradenton, Sarasota, and Charlotte County to South Florida and beyond. Consultations are always free and confidential. We come to you — at the hospital, at your home, or wherever is most comfortable. You pay nothing unless we recover for you.
Phone: 844-877-8679 Web: injurymatters.com
Disclaimer: This article is intended for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice or create an attorney-client relationship. Every case is different. The facts described above are drawn from public news reports and law enforcement statements, and the criminal case against the alleged at-fault driver remains a matter of pending prosecution — every defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty. The hiring of a lawyer is an important decision that should not be based solely on advertisements.
Source: WFLA News Channel 8 — 21-year-old Bradenton woman killed in wrong-way DUI crash: FHP (May 17, 2026)
