ZEPHYRHILLS, FL. (THECOUNT) — New Port Richey woman, Lauren Simone Lee, has been identified as the victim killed Thursday night after state troopers say DUI driver, Jonathan Aldea Valdes, of Zephyrhills, swerved a work truck into her lane while traveling on U.S. 301 just south of Zephyrhills.
Lee, 30, was traveling on U.S. 301 near Rapid River Boulevard, when a drunken Valdes collided with her Honda head-on while driving a Megascapes Landscape truck, around 6:30 p.m. Thursday.
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According to the Florida Highway Patrol, 36-year-old Valdes lost control of his work truck and drove onto the east shoulder, then overcorrected into the southbound lanes.
He then collided with the front of Lee’s Honda.
Lee was pronounced dead at the scene of multiple blunt force trauma injuries.
Valdes was “combative” and refused to complete field sobriety exercises or a blood draw, troopers said. He was arrested and taken to the Pasco County jail, reports TampaBay.
Valdes faces charges of DUI manslaughter and DUI property damage.
DEVELOPING:
Geo quick facts: Zephyrhills is a city in Pasco County, Florida, United States. The population was estimated at 13,288 in the 2010 census. It is a suburb of the Tampa Bay Metropolitan Statistical Area. Zephyrhills is also known as the headquarters of the Zephyrhills bottled water company and is a member of Tree City USA – Wikipedia.