On August 1, 2024, the driver of the pickup truck, Michael David Jones, was charged with homicide negligent manslaughter with a vehicle DUI cause.
At approximately 1:34 a.m. on Sunday, May 5, 2024, crews from Clearwater Police and Clearwater Fire & Rescue responded to a traffic crash in the 1200 block of Gulf Boulevard in Sand Key.
The crash involved a red 2007 Ford F-150 and a tractor-trailer. The pickup truck was lodged under the tractor-trailer, and firefighters initiated an operation to extricate the two occupants. Additional fire rescue units were requested to assist with the extended extrication.
The passenger in the pickup, 41-year-old Mark Harris of Valrico, was pronounced dead at the scene.
The driver, 36-year-old Michael D. Jones of Clearwater, was transported in critical condition to Orlando Health Bayfront Hospital in St. Petersburg.
The crash occurred as a tractor-trailer was backing into the driveway of the Sheraton Sand Key Hotel.
A northbound 2007 pickup was traveling at a high speed when it slammed into the tractor-trailer. The impact tore the roof off the pickup, and the vehicle became lodged under the tractor-trailer.
Speed and alcohol were factors in the crash, according to investigators.
The driver of the tractor-trailer refused medical care at the scene.
According to court documents, the impact moved the 20,000-pound trailer sideways approximately 3 feet. There was also no evidence that Jones attempted to brake or stop before impact despite a clear line of sight for approximately 1,100 feet.
Detectives spoke with another driver headed northbound on Gulf Boulevard a moment before the crash. That driver claimed that Davis drove behind him at a high speed. Eventually, the red pickup truck driver passed him and sped away at high speed.
A hospital blood draw showed an ethanol level of .223, which is nearly three times the legal limit in the State of Florida.
Data obtained from his telephone showed earlier in the evening, he was at Tropicana Field until about 10:30 p.m. and then traveled to a bar in Indian Shores at 19201 Gulf Boulevard. He arrived at approximately 11:15 p.m. and left the bar at approximately 1:15 a.m. The crash occurred at approximately 1:34 a.m.
This resulted in the closure of Gulf Boulevard in the Sand Key area during the investigation until approximately 8:15 a.m.
