GoFundMe Page Created in Honor of 15-Year-Old Killed in Tampa DUI Crash

By Orlando Personal Injury Attorney on May 23, 2021

Authorities with the Tampa Police Department have arrested a 28-year-old resident of Riverdale for his alleged connection to a fatal DUI accident which claimed the life of a 15-year-old girl and injured two others this past Thursday morning along the Gandy Bridge.

According to preliminary crash reports from the Tampa Police Department, it was approximately 4:15 a.m. on May 20^th, 2021, when the first set of 9-1-1 calls flooded Hillsborough County dispatchers regarding a severe auto accident on the left shoulder of the Gandy Bridge. Responding officers indicate that 28-year-old Sebastian Gutierrez was driving a blue Honda Accord towards the eastbound direction of the bridge in an erratic manner that is typically indicative to a driver who is under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

At the same time that Gutierrez was nearing the vicinity, four individuals who were travelling in an Infiniti Q35 suffered a vehicle malfunction and were forced to pull over onto the left-hand shoulder of the bridge. As the yet-to-be-named 20-year-old driver and 15-year-old Zanyhia Arce exited the vehicle in order to assess the situation, the blue Honda Accord violently collided with their disabled Infiniti. The impact from the car crash was so forceful that it caused fatal injuries to the teen girl and she sadly passed away at the scene. A 17-year-old girl and a 20-year-old man who were seated as passengers in the back seat of the Infiniti when the accident occurred sustained minor injuries, including a crushed leg. The 20-year-old driver, who was uninjured in the incident, stated that he tried to warn his friends about a swerving vehicle that was quickly approaching their car but it was too late.

Sebastian Gutierrez has been arrested and charged with DUI manslaughter. He remains in a Hillsborough County Jail without the option for bail.

A GoFundMe page has been created on behalf of 15-year-old Zanyhia Arce in order to support her family with funeral and memorial expenses. “We are all so extremely saddened by the sudden tragic loss of our sweet girl Zanyhia. Anytime I saw Zanyhia she had a smile on her face. Watching her smile instantly put a smile on my face,” it states on the website. We have included a link to the fundraiser here if you’d like to make a donation.

Sources:

• Teen killed in Gandy Bridge crash was ‘sweet’ girl, GoFundMe page says

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.