Why won’t highways change the speed limit?
It seems like drivers are often 15 miles above the 55 mph speed limit on most of America’s highways. Why not change it? Liam Rappleye of the Detroit Free Press explains.
Four people are dead and nine others were hospitalized in Tampa, Florida, after a speeding driver lost control of a vehicle and crashed into a business, local police said.
The deadly crash occurred around 12:45 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 8, the Tampa Police Department said in a news release. Before the crash, the driver of the vehicle, who police identified as Silas Sampson, 22, was allegedly speeding when he exited the interstate, police said.
According to police, the same vehicle had previously been observed street racing on another street. When police located the vehicle and failed to stop it, the driver continued to speed, the department said.
Shortly later, the speeding driver lost control and crashed into a business, hitting more than a dozen people who were outside, according to police.
Hillsborough County court records show Sampson has been charged with four counts of vehicular homicide and four counts of aggravated fleeing to elude serious bodily injury. All charges against Sampson are first-degree felonies, according to the court documents.
Sampson does not have an attorney listed in Hillsborough County online court records. USA TODAY did not receive an immediate response after contacting the State Attorney for the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit, which encompasses all of Hillsborough County, including Tampa, and the Hillsborough County Public Defender’s Office on Nov. 8.
‘Reckless driving put innocent lives in danger,’ police chief says
While three victims died at the scene, the fourth died at a hospital, police said. A fifth victim is hospitalized in critical condition, and an additional eight victims are being treated at hospitals, but are in stable condition, according to the department. Two other victims with minor injuries declined medical help at the scene, police added.
“What happened this morning was a senseless tragedy, our hearts are with the loved ones of the victims and all those who were impacted,” Tampa Police Department Chief Lee Bercaw said in the release. “Reckless driving put innocent lives in danger. The Tampa Police Department and the Florida Highway Patrol are committed to seeking justice for the victims and their families.”
The Florida Highway Patrol is the lead agency investigating the crash.
