Driver arrested after 21-year-old woman dies in wrong-way crash on I-75 in Charlotte County

CHARLOTTE COUNTY, Fla. —

A suspected drunk driver caused a fatal wrong-way crash on I-75 near the Charlotte-Lee County line early Sunday morning, killing a 21-year-old woman and injuring three others.

The Florida Highway Patrol released traffic camera footage showing headlights moving toward the bottom of the screen, heading into oncoming traffic. Troopers said Dennis Olson, 53, of Sarasota, hit three cars during the crash.

According to the highway patrol's arrest report, the 21-year-old woman killed was identified as Lauryn Marie Akey of Bradenton.

"We had a tragedy. You know, he, in essence, sideswiped the first two vehicles and then the third vehicle that came up, had some crash debris," Lt. Greg Bueno of the Florida Highway Patrol said.

Bueno reflected on the loss of Akey.

"She had her entire life to look forward to. And I'm sure her family is heartbroken because this was senseless," Bueno said.

Three other people were hurt in the crash, which closed the northbound lanes of I-75 at mile marker 150 for hours during the investigation.

According to the report, Olson told troopers he had a glass of wine. One BAC test result came back as 0.222, FHP said.

This is the second deadly wrong-way crash on I-75 involving a suspected drunk driver in the last two months. The previous incident in Collier County killed a 96-year-old man.

Bueno shared advice for drivers who may encounter a suspected drunk driver on the road.

"The first instinct should be obviously to veer out of the way to get to a safe location immediately. Call 911 or FHP, the call immediately comes to our office, and that message gets sent to our troopers on the road so that we can stop that vehicle as soon as possible," Bueno said.

Olson is expected to appear in court Tuesday in Charlotte County.

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