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Tampa driver registers 0.267, faces DUI-manslaughter charge

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TBO.com

Published: August 7, 2009

Updated: 08/07/2009 02:01 pm

TAMPA - Florida Highway Patrol troopers charged the driver of an SUV with driving under the influence-manslaughter after he registered more than three times the legal blood-alcohol limit following a fatal wreck this morning.

Xavier Ramirez, 22, was the driver of the Kia sports utility vehicle that lost control on the Interstate 275 exit ramp to Ashley Drive early this morning. The vehicle flipped and ejected the passenger, Gerald Hodge, 22, of Tampa, who died at the scene, troopers said.

Ramirez, 22, of Tampa, suffered minor injuries and was arrested after he was treated at Tampa General Hospital, trooper said.

According to jail records, Ramirez registered a 0.267 blood-alcohol level after submitting to a blood test at the hospital. In Florida, a driver is considered impaired with a blood alcohol level of .08.

Troopers said the one-vehicle crash shut down the Ashley Drive southbound exit ramp for about four hours.

Troopers said the 2007 Kia flipped while exiting the highway about 3 a.m.

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