A Florida man was drunk when his Corvette slammed into another car at 135 mph and killed a 25-year-old woman, according to authorities.
Dale James Drotar, 40, has been charged in connection with the horrific crash that happened on April 6 in Boynton Beach.
Drotar was driving nearly 100 mph above the speed limit when his 2019 Chevrolet Corvette hit a 2020 Toyota Camry with Natalie Pierre, 25, and another woman inside, local outlet CBS12 reported, citing the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office.
As the Camry attempted to make a left turn, the Corvette smashed into the rear door of the car so hard that Pierre, who was sitting in the area, flew out of it along with her seat and door, police say.
Pierre was killed in the crash and Drotar was critically injured. The driver of the Camry walked away with minor injuries.
After the crash, local resident Adam Favereaux pulled Drotar from his burning car and dragged him 30 feet away from danger, CBS12 reported.
“I asked him if he was okay, and he said he wasn’t. He was in a lot of pain,” Favereaux told the outlet.
Details from an arrest affidavit shared by multiple local outlets said Drotar was under the influence of alcohol and opioid pain medications. Police say a 200ml bottle of Jack Daniel’s liquor containing a small amount of alcohol was discovered inside the Corvette.
Drotar had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.126 percent shortly after the crash, according to blood test results. That is 1.6 times higher than the legal limit of 0.08 percent BAC. Drotar is also accused of having hydromorphone and morphine in his system.
Police say Drotar sped up from 124 mph to 135 mph seconds before the crash, hitting the brakes half a second before.
Drotar faces charges of Vehicular Homicide and DUI Manslaughter, as well as four counts each of Reckless Driving Causing Injury and Property Damage and DUI Causing Injury and Property Damage.
He was booked into the Palm Beach County Jail on Wednesday and made his first court appearance on Thursday. He is being held on a $540,000 bond, according to local outlet WPTV.
Details about Drotar’s legal representation were not immediately clear.
In a GoFundMe created to cover Pierre’s funeral costs, one of her loved ones wrote, “Natalie was more than a friend to so many of us - she was a shining light, a constant source of love, support, and adventure.”
The fundraiser has raised just over $15,000.
Another local, Glen Rogers Jr., who described the crash as “pure carnage,” tried to help the Camry driver during the chaos.
“All I could do was offer a little condolence, uncap her water, and give her something to drink to help her calm down,” Rogers told CBS 12.
