The Frostproof and Winter Haven communities are mourning the loss of two young lives after a deadly crash Friday night on State Road 33 in Lake County that investigators say was caused by a suspected impaired driver.
Florida Highway Patrol troopers arrested Seenarine Hardeo, 50, of Groveland, on two counts of DUI manslaughter following the crash, which occurred around 7 p.m. north of Swamp Drive.
According to FHP, Hardeo was driving a 2009 Mini Cooper northbound on SR-33 when his vehicle traveled into the southbound lane and collided with a semi-truck. The impact caused the semi-truck to veer back into the northbound lanes, directly into the path of a 2006 Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck.
Troopers said the front of the semi-truck struck the front left side of the pickup, forcing both vehicles off the roadway. The semi-truck overturned as a result of the collision.
The driver of the pickup, Garrison Gravley, 22, of Frostproof, and his passenger, Miya Brannon, 18, of Winter Haven, were pronounced dead at the scene.
The semi-truck driver was transported to South Lake Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Hardeo was not injured in the crash.
Court records show Hardeo has a prior history involving impaired driving. In 2007, he pleaded no contest to felony DUI and driving with a suspended license. That case also referenced multiple DUI incidents in New York in the early 2000s that resulted in his driver license being revoked.
Hardeo was booked into the Lake County Jail Friday night and is being held without bond. The crash remains under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol.
As news of the tragedy spread, messages of grief and remembrance began circulating throughout Frostproof and Winter Haven, where the sudden loss of two young lives has left families, friends, and neighbors reeling.
