WC Man Who Fled Accident Arrested A Year Later

A Wesley Chapel man is in custody, nearly a year after he fled a car crash in Temple Terrace that left one man dead.

According to the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP), Michael P. Mercer, 41, of Quail Hollow, was driving his 1997 GMC pickup truck on E. Fowler Ave. in Tampa when Amari A. Williams, 30, of Thonotosassa, lost control of his 1985 Chevrolet Camaro and hit Mercer’s vehicle at around 3:12 a.m. on Apr. 12, 2014. Williams’ Camaro rotated clockwise and overturned.

FHP says Williams was ejected and landed on the roadway. Two witnesses — one from Jacksonville and one from Tampa — attempted to help Williams, but saw him struck by two more vehicles while still in the road. Williams died of his injuries at the scene. The driver of one of those vehicles called FHP and identified himself as William S. Ridley, 47, of Tampa. The other driver was still unknown at our press time.

FHP reports that, hours after the crash, Mercer’s truck was found abandoned on E. Fletcher Ave. He was identified and located at 8:30 a.m. the next morning, but no charges were filed.

However, after nearly a year of investigation, FHP Sgt. Steve Gaskins says that Mercer was arrested and charged with leaving the scene of an accident with serious bodily injury on March 2. At our press time, he was still in the Hillsborough County jail in lieu of a $7,500 bond.

Gaskins says that the delay in Mercer’s arrest was due to getting information together and getting people to come forward to be interviewed about the crash. “It has not been an easy case,” Gaskins says.

The accident remains under investigation. Anyone with info about the fourth driver can call 631-4020.—MW