Tampa woman faces life in prison for high-speed fatal DUI crash

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — The woman charged in a deadly high-speed crash on Interstate 4 in Hillsborough County took a plea deal in the case on Monday.

In April 2021, Jennifer Carvajal was accused of driving under the influence and causing a crash that killed one of her passengers and seriously injured another.

After pleading guilty, she faces anywhere from 31 years to a maximum of life in prison for DUI manslaughter. Sentencing is set to begin on May 30.

The Florida Highway Patrol said a trooper clocked her going 110 mph on I-4. When they tried to pull her over, her car suddenly veered off the road and over an embankment, and then flew into the air at a Ford Dealership. Two passengers were ejected from the vehicle.

Jury selection and opening statements were slated to begin in the case on Monday.

Carvajal was on probation for a DUI conviction at the time of the 2021 incident. It was the second alleged DUI crash with a death that Carvajal was involved in.

In 2014, when she was 16, the Plant City Police Department charged her with DUI when officers said she ran a red light and collided with a car driven by a 52-year-old newspaper delivery man, Keith Davis. Davis died in the crash and Carvajal spent time in prison after her 2015 conviction.

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