A 30-year-old Orlando man fleeing from a traffic stop crashed his Toyota Prius into a car early Wednesday, critically injuring himself and seriously injuring his passenger and the driver of the other vehicle, the Florida Highway Patrol said.
Prius driver James Maddux, a sex offender who had a DUI crash last year, was pulled over on Orange Blossom Trail sometime after 2 a.m. for possibly driving under the influence, said FHP Sgt. Kim Montes.
Maddux gave the trooper fake identification before speeding off as the trooper was starting the DUI investigation, Montes said.
He headed south on Orange Blossom Trail and hit a 2001 Mercury four-door that was traveling eastbound on Southland Boulevard at 2:39 a.m., Montes said.
Both drivers were ejected from their vehicles and transported to the Orlando Regional Medical Center.
The driver of the four-door hit by the Prius, Terris Byrd, 34, of Maitland, is in serious condition at ORMC.
Zachary Poirrier, 18, a passenger in the Prius, was also injured and transported to ORMC, where he was in serious condition.
Richard Jarvis, 31, of Orlando, a passenger in the four-door, was taken to Osceola Regional Hospital with minor injuries.
The Prius briefly caught on fire, but troopers extinguished the flames quickly, Montes said.
Montes said troopers have dash-cam video of the crash but will not be releasing it at this time because the crash remains under investigation.
Maddux was arrested at ORMC, where he is in critical condition, for fleeing and eluding, providing a fraudulent driver license and resisting arrest without violence.
He will be booked into the Orange County Jail after his release from the hospital.
Maddux was found guilty of unlawful sexual activity with a minor in Orange County in December, a finding that labeled him a sex offender.
In March 2012, Maddux was accused of causing a similar traffic nightmare when troopers say he overturned his car into a retention pond near State Road 408 in Orange County.
Maddux wasn't wearing a seat belt, was ejected from the car and transported to ORMC.
He was arrested on March 1, 2012 on charges of driving under the influence, felony fleeing and eluding and driving on a suspended license.
A passenger, then 17, suffered minor injuries.
Copyright 2013 - Orlando Sentinel
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
