Gainesville police say a University of Florida student was killed Saturday night by a drunk driver while waiting at a bus stop in front of the Campus Club Apartments on SW 37th Blvd.
Karan Khullar, 22, was a UF computer science student. Khullar was waiting at the bus stop Saturday night with two friends when a white Hyundai Sonata left the road at the curve and struck Khullar and the other two students, according to a Gainesville Police Department statement.
Damaris Guerrero-Garcia, 23, the driver of the vehicle, fled the scene. Approximately 20 minutes later a reckless vehicle was reported to be southbound on Interstate 75, driving at a high rate of speed and throwing sparks from a flat tire. The vehicle was eventually stopped in Marion County.
Florida Highway Patrol responded and the driver, Guerrero-Garcia, was arrested. Her blood alcohol content was a .14, almost twice the legal limit, according to FHP's investigation.
Khullar was found at the scene with significant head trauma and was transported to UF Health Shands Hospital, according to the GPD statement. He was pronounced dead at the hospital. The UF Dean of Students responded to the hospital.
“I don’t know if there was, unfortunately, anything that this man could have done to have prevented this accident himself,” Tobias said. “This is a perfect example of why you cannot drive drunk.”
Guerrero-Garcia was charged with 1 count of DUI manslaughter, 2 counts fo DUI Damange to persom/Property, and 1 count of Crash involving death – failure to stop.
Her first appearance in court was Monday and she remains in the Marion County Jail. Her next court date is March 21. Guerrero-Garcia will be extradited to Alachua County in the future, according to GPD.