Two Brothers Killed on a Florida Highway After a Drug Suspect Blew Through Red Lights at 110 MPH

Sheila Long was not home the Saturday a car crashed into a tree just feet from her house on Lake Drive in Casselberry. Her daughter Kallysta was.

By the time Long got there, the SUV was already lodged against the tree, right outside Kallysta’s bedroom window.

“I went and looked outside, and sure as heck there was a car, and then my tree’s almost through the window,” Long said.

What Happened That Saturday

The driver, a 58-year-old man whose name police have not released, told Long he swerved to avoid a squirrel. Long did not buy it.

“I didn’t hear any brakes. I didn’t hear any turning. If he was swerving to not hit a squirrel, wouldn’t there be marks or something?” she said.

She and her neighbors said they smelled alcohol on him strongly. Long put it plainly: “I probably would have failed a breathalyzer after talking to him.”

The driver was dazed, seatbelt still on, keys still in the ignition. According to Long, he was actively trying to restart the car and drive away when they walked up on him.

What Police Did and Did Not Do

Casselberry police confirmed officers investigated the crash and issued the driver a citation for careless driving. No criminal charges were filed.

The department told WESH 2 that officers did not believe there was sufficient probable cause for an arrest. They also pointed to a Florida law constraint: the driver’s admission that he was behind the wheel could support a traffic citation but not criminal charges.

That is a real legal limitation, not something invented. But it still left Long with an outcome that felt like nothing was actually resolved.

She also pushed back on the “no witnesses” reasoning. Her neighbor saw the crash. The driver admitted he was driving. Long cannot understand how that combination was not enough to at least pursue a DUI investigation.

These situations, where a crash happens feet from a home and families are left with more questions than answers, show up more than most people realize.

Earlier this month, a DUI driver crossed four lanes and slammed into a family’s garage in Stockton in a case that raised nearly identical concerns about how these incidents get handled after the fact.

If you follow stories like this, there is a WhatsApp channel that covers community safety and crash incidents as they break. Worth having in your feed.

The Part That Does Not Add Up

The department said no witnesses saw anyone driving the vehicle. Long says that is not accurate. Her neighbor witnessed it directly.

This is a legal reality in Florida. But it raises a fair question about what investigation actually happened between the crash and the citation. A careless driving ticket closes the record. It does not answer whether a proper DUI evaluation was ever conducted.

A semi truck that slammed into a building in Gratis after a collision with a dump truck and a large oak tree that fell into a Wake County home after heavy rain are reminders of how fast something goes wrong with zero warning.

The difference here is that Long believes the warning signs were visible and ignored.

Why This Matters

Long is not asking for revenge. She said that clearly. She wants the next family to not end up in the same spot.

“That’s what I’m trying to do, is prevent this from happening to somebody else, to try to save someone else’s life, because this is not OK,” she said.

Kallysta said it differently: “I’m usually here on weekends. The one weekend I’m not here, this happens. You can’t tell me God ain’t real for that.”

According to a CBS12 analysis of federal NHTSA data, at least 40 people died in Florida in vehicle incidents tied to impaired or reckless driving between 2020 and 2024, with experts noting the real number is likely higher due to inconsistent reporting across agencies.

Key Takeaways

• A single-vehicle crash on Lake Drive in Casselberry came within feet of a family’s home
• The driver claimed he swerved to avoid a squirrel. No skid marks, no brake sounds were reported
• Long and neighbors described a strong smell of alcohol on the driver
• Police issued a careless driving citation and did not pursue DUI charges, citing insufficient probable cause
• Florida law limits how a driver’s crash-scene admission can be used in a criminal case
• Long says a neighbor witnessed the crash, contradicting the “no witnesses” explanation

Does a careless driving citation feel like the right call here, or do you think what Long described warranted a deeper look? Drop your take in the comments.

If stories like this stay with you, Build Like New covers community safety and the questions that do not always get answered in the first report. For real-time updates, follow Build Like New on X (Twitter) and the Facebook community.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. All details are based on publicly available statements and media reports at the time of publication.