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SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. - A motorcycle rider remains in critical condition at the hospital after he was rear-ended by a suspected drunk – and unlicensed – driver on Interstate 4 late Saturday night, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
FHP said the suspected driver was found hiding in some woods near the freeway, while his passenger, a female, was found hiding underneath an overpass.
What we know:
The crash happened shortly before 10 p.m. on westbound I-4, near mile marker 104 and involved a Nissan Altima and a motorcycle.
According to FHP, the motorcycle rider stopped along the side of the freeway to use the bathroom. A friend waited for him shortly ahead.
At some point, the Nissan Altima then rear-ended the motorcycle rider at a high rate of speed, likely causing the motorcycle rider to be thrown from his bike and flipped over the vehicle, FHP said in its incident report.
Troopers said the Altima then crashed into the concrete barrier on the left side of the freeway, while the motorcycle stayed in the right lane – both were far from where the initial crash happened, FHP said.
FHP identified the driver of the Altima as 30-year-old Edwin Amaya Reyes. Troopers said he and a female passenger both ran from the car after the crash.
Reyes was found hiding in some nearby woods with the help of law enforcement drones. The female, who was not identified, was found hiding underneath an overpass.
FHP said Reyes' story about the crash did not match with the physical evidence. Troopers said Reyes did not have a valid driver's license, failed the field sobriety tests, and had a BAC nearly three times the legal limit: .215, according to the report. The legal limit is 0.8.
Reyes did have a Guatemalan passport on his. ICE was contacted, FHP said, and a detainer was placed on him.
He was arrested and booked into jail on charges of DUI and serious bodily injury to another, driving without a license causing death or serious injury and failure to stop/remain at a crash.
The Source: FDOT traffic cameras captured the aftermath of the crash on WB I-4, near mile marker 104. The Florida Highway Patrol issued a news release on the crash and the investigation. On Sunday, FHP said the motorcycle rider remained in critical condition at last check.