Man Faces Charges Following DUI Crash That Killed 1, Seriously Injured 1 In Lakeland: Cops

LAKELAND, FL — A Lakeland man faces a DUI manslaughter charge after deputies said he drove impaired while pulling an unstable trailer attached to his truck on U.S. Highway 98 and smashed into another vehicle killing the driver Tuesday, according to the Polk County Sheriff's Office.

Joshua Waters, 34, drove southbound on U.S. 98 near State Road 471 in a white 2006 Chevy 2500 pickup truck with an attached 16' dump body trailer, officers said.

At about 7:37 a.m. in unincorporated Lakeland, the trailer became unstable and went into the northbound lane of the highway crashing into the driver's door of a 2015 Isuzu box truck driven by a 44-year-old man, investigators said.

An 18-year-old passenger, the son of the box truck driver, experienced critical injuries. His dad died of head trauma at the crash location, the police report said.

“At this point in the investigation, it appears that the trailer being pulled was overweight and improperly loaded, causing it to be unstable…that will be investigated further," Sheriff Grady Judd said. "What is obvious is that the driver pulling the trailer was driving while impaired, and his actions resulted in a man being killed, and his adult son being critically injured.”

Joshua Waters was arrested on the following charges, according to the Polk County Sheriff's Office:

• DUI manslaughter
• DUI crash with serious bodily injury
• DUI
• Resisting arrest