Driver Arrested for Involvement in Fatal DUI Car Crash in Volusia County

By Orlando Personal Injury Attorney on September 15, 2022

After nearly a month of eluding local authorities, a 37-year-old driver has been taken into custody for his connection to a deadly auto accident that claimed the life of a 33-year-old woman earlier this year in Volusia County.

It took almost half a year, but hopefully, the family of car crash victim Megan Tapp will finally feel some sense of justice and closure since the man who is allegedly responsible for her death was arrested at the end of August.

According to reports from the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office surrounding the initial collision that occurred on May 7, 2022, at approximately 11:25 p.m., 33-year-old Megan Tapp was riding as a passenger in her own vehicle while 37-year-old Carlos Palmer was at the wheel. The two were traveling in the northbound direction of Providence Boulevard in Deltona when Palmer suddenly lost control of the car, crossed over the road’s median, and crashed through a chain-link fence located near Fergason Avenue. The vehicle finally came to a complete stop when it slammed into a tree.

Local emergency medical teams and officers with the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office responded to the serious car accident and determined that 33-year-old Megan Tapp had sustained severe injuries during the collision. She was pronounced dead at the scene. The 37-year-old driver, Carlos Palmer, was transported by air to a nearby hospital in critical condition.

Volusia County traffic homicide detectives who were investigating the case determined that the driver, Carlos Palmer, had a blood-alcohol level of 0.259g/100 mL when the fatal drunk driver collision occurred. This is over three times the legal limit in the state of Florida. Additionally, he was found to be driving at a high rate of speed at the time of the crash.

An arrest warrant for Carlos Palmer was issued back in July, but he managed to escape arrest by changing multiple addresses until August 23rd, when he was found in Geneva by officials with the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office. He was transported back to Volusia County and faces charges of driving with a suspended license resulting in death and DUI manslaughter. He remains jailed and is currently being held on a $110,000 bond.

James O. Cunningham

Since 1977, personal injury lawyer James Cunningham has provided effective legal advocacy to people who are injured through the negligent actions of another person or entity throughout the Central Florida area. He fights to obtain recoveries for his clients’ physical and emotional pain and suffering and pursues his clients’ personal injury cases with a commitment to excellence and impeccable preparation.