Ridge Manor, Fla. (970 WFLA) - Two people died after a wrong-way driver collided with another vehicle head-on on Cortez Blvd. just before 1 a.m. Tuesday. A Hernando County Sheriff's Office says a deputy had to swerve to avoid a car going westbound in the eastbound lanes. About a minute after running the deputy off the road, the car going the wrong way struck another driver head-on. Both drivers died.
Florida Highway Patrol identified the driver as Tony Lavon Warthen, 37, of Brookville. The other driver killed was Laura Billingsley, 23, of Webster. According to a news release from FHP, tests will be done to determine if Warthen was drunk or high at the time of the crash.
The investigation and cleanup kept Cortez Blvd. closed until 7:25 a.m.