Fort Myers, FL : A Naples man who caused an I-75 wreck on Wednesday, December, 27th 2017

A Naples man who caused an I-75 wreck that left a child in critical condition faces charges of drunken driving and leaving the scene of a crash, state police said.

Billy Noel Catherwood, 63, was driving a Ford F-150 pickup at a high rate of speed south along Interstate 75 near mile marker 242 in Hillsborough County at about 8:30 p.m. Wednesday,the Florida Highway Patrol said in a news release Thursday.

Catherwood was approaching State Road 674 near Ruskin in the center lane when he hit the back end of a 2004 Ford Explorer that Jesus Sandoval, 35, of Ruskin, was driving south. The impact caused Sandoval's SUV to be redirected and overturned before stopping in the median, the FHP said.

As the SUV flipped, two children were ejected from the vehicle: Sahirys Sandoval, 8, and Ashley Sandoval, 6, who remains in critical condition at Tampa General Hospital. A third passenger, Rodney Sandoval, 10, suffered serious injuries. All are from Ruskin, state police said.

Catherwood continued south after the crash, and state police troopers said they found his pickup abandoned just after 10 p.m. along southbound I-75, near mile marker 229. Several hours later, Catherwood was found in Manatee County and arrested. He had a blood-alcohol level of 0.15, the FHP said. A blood-alcohol level of 0.08 or above is illegal for drivers in Florida.

Source :
Naples man causes I-75 crash, charged with DUI and leaving the scene, police say