Tampa, Florida: Apollo Beach Man Charged With DUI Manslaughter After Bicyclist Killed on U.S. 41

An Apollo Beach man was arrested on a charge of DUI manslaughter early Saturday after his car struck and killed a man riding a bicycle on U.S. Highway 41 in southern Hillsborough County, the Florida Highway Patrol said.

What troopers say happened

The crash happened at about 3:25 a.m. on U.S. Highway 41 south of Old U.S. Highway 41, troopers said in a news release reported by Tampa Bay 28 on Saturday morning. A Mazda sedan driven by Michael Barr, 37, of Apollo Beach was traveling southbound on the highway, according to the highway patrol.

An adult man was riding a bicycle southbound along the edge of the roadway, troopers said. The Mazda overtook the bicycle and struck the rider. The man suffered fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the release. The highway patrol has not released the bicyclist's name or age.

Arrest and blood alcohol reading

Investigators determined that Barr was impaired at the time of the crash, the highway patrol said. His blood alcohol concentration was measured at .162, just over twice the Florida legal limit of .08. Troopers arrested Barr on a charge of DUI manslaughter.

DUI manslaughter is a felony charge under Florida law. The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles says impairment plays a role in one in three fatal crashes in the state, and its Florida Highway Patrol runs regular impaired driving enforcement campaigns with sheriff's offices and police departments across Florida. Troopers have not said whether speed played any role in Saturday's crash, and the release does not describe road conditions at the time.

The reports published Saturday morning do not say whether anyone else was in the Mazda, whether the highway was closed after the crash, or when Barr is due in court. The highway patrol has not released any further detail about the bicyclist.

Apollo Beach is an unincorporated community on the east shore of Tampa Bay, in the southern part of Hillsborough County. Saturday's death was the second fatal bicycle crash reported on U.S. 41 in the Tampa Bay area in a month. On October 12, a 40 year old Sun City Center man was killed when an SUV struck his bicycle on U.S. 41 in Manatee County, the highway patrol said at the time.

U.S. 41 is the main north to south road through Apollo Beach and Ruskin, and the stretch south of Old U.S. Highway 41 runs past subdivisions and side streets where residents ride bikes along the shoulder in the early morning. The crash remains under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol.