Tampa Woman Charged With DUI In Lakeland Injury Crash: Police

LAKELAND, FL — A 41-year-old Tampa woman was arrested Sunday by the Polk County Sheriff's Office after she left the scene of a Lakeland crash that critically injured two people, a police news release said.

Nancy Norwood was driving under the influence in her 2020 Toyota 4Runner, police say, and was going east on Rockridge Road just before 1 a.m. Sunday when she tried to make a U-turn in the middle of the road.

In the process, a motorcycle that had been driving east on Rockridge Road crashed into the back door on the driver's side of her SUV, officials say.

Police said the 57-year-old Orlando man and 39-year-old Lakeland woman on the motorcycle, who had been driving east on Rockridge before the crash, were hospitalized.

Norwood immediately left the scene of the crash, but because police found a piece from the Toyota left behind, they were able to identify the vehicle, officials reported. Shortly afterward, investigators located Norwood at the Circle K on Highway U.S. 98 North in Lakeland.

Deputies found Norwood asleep in the driver's seat with the keys still in the ignition, officials say, and she had a strong odor of alcohol on her breath after she awoke. She slurred her words as she spoke, and her eyes were blood shot, authorities allege.

Police said blood and tissue were found on the damaged area of her vehicle that matched the missing SUV piece found where the crash happened.

Norwood failed the sobriety test, and she produced breath test samples of .231 and .235, said detectives. The legal blood alcohol limit in Florida is .08.

Officials took her to the Polk County Jail and charged her with the following:

• Leaving the scene of a crash with serious bodily injury
• Driving under the influence with serious bodily injury
• Driving under the influence with blood alcohol level of .15 or higher

Health officials at a local hospital determined Norwood did not experience any injuries from the crash after they examined her, said police.

Authorities said the victims remain in critical condition at a local hospital.