FLORIDA — The Florida Highway Patrol has arrested a Lake County man on DUI manslaughter charges following a deadly crash that killed two people Friday night.
According to troopers, the crash occurred around 7 p.m. on State Road 33 in Lake County. Investigators said a 2009 Mini Cooper driven by Seenarine Hardeo, 50, of Groveland, was traveling northbound when it crossed into the southbound lane and collided with a semi-truck north of Swamp Drive.
Authorities said the impact caused the semi-truck to veer into the northbound lanes and into the path of a 2006 Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck. The front of the semi-truck struck the front left side of the pickup, causing both vehicles to leave the roadway and resulting in the semi-truck overturning.
The driver of the semi-truck was transported to South Lake Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The driver of the Chevrolet Silverado, a 22-year-old man from Frostproof, and his passenger, an 18-year-old woman from Tallahassee, were pronounced dead at the scene.
Troopers said Hardeo was not injured in the crash. He was arrested and charged with two counts of DUI manslaughter, a second-degree felony. He was booked into the Lake County Jail Friday night and is being held without bond.
Court records show Hardeo previously pleaded no contest to felony DUI and driving with a suspended license in 2007. Those records also reference multiple DUI incidents in New York in the early 2000s that led to his driver’s license being revoked. The crash remains under investigation.
