ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) reports that a 52-year-old Columbiana, Ohio man and his Uber driver were killed after a wrong-way driver collided head-on with the van Wednesday night on the Sunshine Skyway Bridge in St. Petersburg.
A 51-year-old Columbiana woman and a 24-year-old Columbiana man who were passengers in the Uber suffered serious injuries as a result of the crash.
It all started just before 10:30 p.m. Wednesday in Hillsborough County, FHP said. Troopers say they were called to assist the sheriff's office in trying to stop the driver of a stolen Ford Mustang. Leosvany Roman, a 22-year-old from Hialeah, Florida, had just reportedly rammed an HCSO patrol car before speeding away southbound on I-275.
The chase, monitored by an HCSO aerial unit, continued southbound to the Sunshine Skyway Bridge. An FHP trooper tried to stop Roman when they reached the bridge, but Roman hit the trooper's car, continued southbound to the top of the bridge, then turned around and rammed the trooper's car again before speeding the wrong way back down the southbound lanes.
As Roman continued speeding down I-275, the stolen Mustang he was driving collided head-on with an Uber near the northern rest area, according to FHP.
The Uber driver was a 33-year-old man from Bradenton, Florida.
Roman also suffered serious injuries in the crash and was taken to the hospital, as well. He faces multiple charges including felony murder, vehicular homicide, aggravated fleeing and eluding involving death, driving while license suspended involving death and battery on a law enforcement officer.
The trooper Roman rammed into, a 27-year-old who's been with the FHP for two years, had minor injuries and was taken to the hospital for treatment.
The crash resulted in the southbound lanes of Interstate 275 being shut down overnight. The roadway finally fully reopened around 6:40 a.m. Thursday.