The Fourth of July weekend, traditionally one of the deadliest of holiday weekends, was tragically ushered in with a DUI car accident that killed a Leesburg family on July 2 when a Wesley Chapel driver allegedly sent their pickup truck into the waters beneath the Howard Frankland Bridge.
Joshua Burbank, 25, was driving his 4-door 2014 Honda Civic eastbound on I-275 near milepost 33 at approximately 9:30 p.m. when he swerved from the center inside lane into the inside lane and hit the truck, causing it to lose control and overturn multiple times before flipping over the southern concrete barrier wall and into the water below, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
Burbank, says the FHP, was driving under the influence. He was arrested at the scene and faces three charges of DUI Manslaughter and another charge of DUI involving property damage., as well as careless driving.
Robert, Karen and Samuel Getter of Leesburg were inside the GMC truck, and perished.
The FHP says that the front left portion Burbank’s car clipped the rear right of the truck, causing it to go into a clockwise spin before tumbling towards the edge of bridge, and into two feet of water.
Robert Getter, 76, and his wife Karen, 73, sustained fatal injuries; their son Samuel, 52, sustained critical injuries and was transported to an area hospital where he died. All three were wearing their seatbelts.
The northbound lanes of the Howard Frankland Bridge was closed from 9:45 p.m. until 2 a.m. Saturday morning while the crash was investigated.
Burbank was released from the Pinellas County Jail on Saturday after posting bail.
