A 65-year-old Florida woman has been charged with DUI manslaughter after allegedly driving a van off the roadway, going airborne, and fatally ejecting a passenger on Monday, authorities said.
The Florida Highway Patrol on Tuesday announced the arrest of Deborah Lee Fiss, who was driving a Honda Odyssey with two passengers at the time of the accident.
According to FHP, Fiss was driving southbound along State Road 87 near State Road 89 when she drove off the road, struck garbage cans and drove toward an embankment.
"The van became airborne, collided with the ground and rolled over," FHP said. A 67-year-old passenger was ejected from the van and transported to Sacred Heart Hospital, where she died. Fiss and a second passenger were transported to a local hospital with "minor injuries," FHP said.
At the hospital, Fiss was allegedly "observed to be under the influence of drugs," and was charged with DUI manslaughter. She was being held in Santa Rosa County Jail without bond.
--with reporting by TMX
