MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – A South Florida man turned himself in to authorities on Wednesday after a crash that seriously injured a Florida Highway Patrol trooper.
Troopers said Hugo Olivares, 26, was driving a black 2014 Chevy March 17 on the Dolphin Expressway when he lost control and hit Trooper Carlos Rosario, 37, who was conducting a speed-related traffic stop near Northwest 107th Avenue.
"The shoulder where this occurred is a very wide shoulder. It's wider than a normal shoulder, so there was plenty of room," FHP Sgt. Mark Wysocky said at the time. "What we have to determine is why this person lost control of his car to spin sideways and run in to the patrol car and the trooper."
Authorities said on Wednesday that Olivares was texting at the time of the crash.
According to an arrest warrant, Rosario was pulling over a driver who was in front of Olivares' vehicle, but Olivares failed to slow down and spun out of control before striking Rosario.
File: Arrest warrant for Hugo Olivares
The trooper went airborne, striking a Dodge Charge before coming to final rest on the left shoulder, just north of the Charger.
The warrant stated that Olivares' vehicle struck the Charger, causing the vehicle to hit a second Dodge Charger.
The Chevy then struck a concrete barrier wall, the warrant stated.
Investigators determined that Olivares was speeding at 75 mph in a 55 mph zone five seconds before the crash.
Dr. Carl Schulman, a trauma surgeon at Jackson Memorial Hospital, said Rosario suffered mostly orthopedic injuries to his face, spine and lower extremities.
Rosario has undergone several surgeries since the crash and had permanent rods placed in his legs.
Olivares faces charges of reckless driving causing serious bodily injury and reckless driving causing property damage.
He is being held in lieu of a $6,000 bond.