A 21-year-old university student died after sending a text message promising to be home soon, moments before an alleged drunk driver struck her car on a Florida highway. Lauryn Akey, a student at the University of South Florida, was returning from a friend's wedding in Charlotte County in the early hours of May 17 when her Honda CR-V was hit by a Ford F-150 driven by Dennis Olson, 53, who was travelling south in the northbound lanes of Interstate 75.
According to legal documents obtained by Law & Crime, Akey had texted her family that she loved them and would be home soon. The force of the crash threw her from the vehicle, and she died at the scene around 1am. Olson, of Lehigh Acres, was charged with DUI manslaughter and vehicular homicide. He later admitted to Florida state troopers he was having a 'bad night'.
A witness reported that Olson was slurring his speech as he was helped from his truck. His blood alcohol level was 0.222, nearly three times the legal limit of 0.08. Olson claimed he had only drunk a glass of wine that night and said he was returning from a restaurant in Fort Myers. Shortly before the crash, he allegedly sideswiped a Kia Optima carrying a woman and two children from Arcadia, Florida, causing one child to require surgery.
Grainy footage from the Florida Highway Patrol shows Olson's car making a U-turn on the highway to drive in the wrong direction shortly before the crash. Olson has pleaded not guilty to the charges. He has a prior conviction for driving while impaired in Minnesota after reportedly driving the wrong way down another road.
Akey's mother, Melinda Mucho, told FOX13 News of her daughter's dream to become a nurse. 'She would have done amazing things. Her life was just on the horizon,' she said. Akey's boyfriend, Garrett Day, paid tribute on social media, writing: 'Rest in paradise my love, I hope you’re holding your pink fishing pole tight catching every fish you ever wanted to.' Olson is being held without bail in Charlotte County, with his next court date scheduled for June 15.
