FDOT Road Ranger Killed on I-75 in Wesley Chapel; Bradenton Driver Charged With DUI Manslaughter at 4 Times the Legal Limit

A 24-year-old Florida Department of Transportation Road Ranger was struck and killed Sunday night while setting up a lane closure on Interstate 75 near State Road 56 in Wesley Chapel — the daily north-south artery for thousands of local families — and the Bradenton man charged in his death registered a breath-alcohol level more than four times Florida's legal limit, the Florida Highway Patrol says.

According to troopers, the crash happened around 8:28 p.m. on July 12 on southbound I-75 in Pasco County. Road Rangers had responded to an earlier two-vehicle crash to help with traffic control. As the crew was establishing the lane closure, an Acura MDX drove between the two Road Ranger vehicles and hit one of the workers, who was on foot placing the closure, FHP said.

The worker, a 24-year-old man from Brandon, suffered fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.

The DUI manslaughter charge

Troopers identified the driver as Darren Christopher Jenkins, 40, of Bradenton. Following their investigation, they arrested Jenkins and charged him with DUI manslaughter, according to FHP.

Investigators said Jenkins provided a breath sample that measured 0.334 — more than four times Florida's legal limit of 0.08. He was taken to the Pasco County Jail, where he remains in custody. The crash is still under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol.

Why this hits home for Wesley Chapel

The stretch of I-75 around SR-56 is one of the busiest gateways in and out of Wesley Chapel, funneling commuters, shoppers headed to Wiregrass, and families every day. Road Rangers are the FDOT-contracted crews many drivers have seen without ever knowing their name — the ones who set out cones, push disabled cars off the travel lanes, and stand between moving traffic and a wreck so the rest of us can get by safely.

Sunday's death lands the same week Florida agencies have been pressing the annual "Operation Southern Slow Down" enforcement push, a multi-state effort aimed squarely at speeding and unsafe driving. It's a grim reminder of exactly what those campaigns are trying to prevent.

What the Move Over law actually requires

Florida's Move Over law is written to protect the very workers on the roadside Sunday night. When you approach a stopped emergency, utility, sanitation, or maintenance vehicle displaying warning lights — including Road Ranger trucks — the law tells you what to do.

State highway-safety officials have repeatedly said that most roadside deaths and serious injuries are preventable — that they happen when drivers simply fail to move over or slow down. Sunday night's crash carried an additional, aggravating factor: impairment far beyond anything the law tolerates.

What's known — and what isn't

FHP has released the core facts: the time, the location near SR-56, the charge, and the breath-test result. The identity of the Road Ranger who died had not been publicly released as of reporting, and the case remains an active investigation. Additional charges or details could follow as troopers complete their work.

For local drivers, the practical takeaway is the simplest one: on I-75 and every road through Wesley Chapel, when you see flashing amber, blue, or red lights ahead, move over a lane or slow down. The people working the shoulder have no protection but the space and the seconds you give them.

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