Tampa, Fla, (970 WFLA) - A drunk wrong-way driver killed a woman in a head-on crash on the Lee Roy Selmon Expessway early Sunday, Tampa Police said.
Witnesses first reported a Ford F-250 pickup truck driving recklessly near South Macdill Ave. and West Hawthorne Rd., according to a news release from TPD. Police said that Stephen Joseph Paleveda, 27, drove truck rode without headlights on, ran several red lights and drove the wrong way down one-way streets.
Moments later, police said, the truck entered the westbound lanes of the Selmon Expressway going east. The truck struck a vehicle driven by Bamnet Narongchai, 68, of Tampa, and killed her. Paleveda got out of his damaged truck and ran away, but police found him near the crash site. "Alcohol was a factor in the crash and charges are pending," the news release said.