Three wrong way drivers in Tampa arrested: Matt Kennedy, Bluma Lantzy, Daniel Palmer
In three separate incidents Hillsborough law enforcement officers stopped three drivers traveling the wrong way on area highways in the Tampa, Fla. area. Two drivers were charged with driving under the influence while a third confessed that he was searching for a “dropped cell phone.”
The first incident occurred around 1:50 a.m. when a concerned citizen contacted authorities about a wrong-way driver on High 60 East and Turkey Creek Road. “You have somebody driving on the wrong side of the wrong, going about 40 miles an hour,” a male caller told a 911 dispatchers.
photo Scott Davidson
The driver, Bluma Lantzy, 51, of Brandon, was stopped and arrested for driving under the influence.
Then around 3:30 a.m., deputies with Hillsborough County responded to calls of a wrong-way driver on the Veterans Expressway near Gunn Highway. “He flew by me pretty quick,” a male witness told a 911 dispatcher. “I don’t even think he realizes he’s going the wrong way. Almost hit a tractor carrying fuel too.”
The driver, Daniel Palmer, 34 was headed north in the southbound lanes, according to deputies.
They were able to pull Palmer over without a crash. The Florida Highway Patrol has taken over the investigation, and said he will be charged with DUI.
Finally, it was a driver on a motorcycle, Matthew James Kennedy, 25, of Tampa, who dropped his cell phone, performed an illegal U-turn, and drove about a half-mile in the wrong direction in order to retrieve the phone. Kennedy’s motorcycle was towed from the scene after troopers discovered he had a suspended license. No charges were filed.
Kennedy spoke with ABC Action News about the incident.
“I know it was a mistake,” said Kennedy. “I was going to work, running a little bit late.”
There has been a rash of wrong way driving incidents in Tampa over the last several months.
