DUI Manslaughter Charge Dropped Against Man In Death Of 19-Year Old Pensacola Christian College Student
July 26, 2023
All charges have been dropped against a man charged earlier this year in a crash that killed a 19-year old Pensacola Christian College student.
Oscar Daniel Martin, Jr. was charged with DUI manslaughter following the March 21 crash on Airport Boulevard.
According to an arrest report, Martin told a Florida Highway Patrol Trooper that he had consumed three beers over the course of three hours before the crash, and the trooper noted in the report that he could “smell the odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from (Martin)”. FHP also said Martin “exhibited multiple clues” of being under the influence during a field sobriety check.
But according to the State Attorney’s Office, lab tests conducted at the state lab showed no alcohol in Martin’s system at the time of the crash. A second laboratory in Pennsylvania also found Martin had no alcohol or drugs in his system.
The State Attorney’s Office also said Martin will not face reckless driving charges because there was no evidence that he was driving recklessly before the crash.
FHP said a pickup truck driven by Martin was eastbound when it “drifted” onto the Airport Boulevard sidewalk west of Memory Lane. The pickup truck collided with Jadon Goins, a PCC student who was cleaning up around a college facility, troopers said.
Goins was transported to Sacred Heart Hospital where he was pronounced deceased.
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10 Responses to “DUI Manslaughter Charge Dropped Against Man In Death Of 19-Year Old Pensacola Christian College Student”
Medical emergencys happen all the time. Could have been that
Whatever happened to ‘failure to maintain lane or failure to maintain control of vehicle? This appears wacky to me. Can we say “Time to change prosecutor’s boys and girls?” One can still sue. Getting a judgment paid is another thing.
This smells mighty fishes to me.
@Bewildered 3 beers in 3 hours is what was stated and no time frame was given from when he finished the last beer until he got in the vehicle. Depending on his weight and the time frame, there was likely plenty of time for 3 beers in 3 hours to leave his system before getting behind the wheel. I am definitely not defending the man, as he clearly drifted onto the sidewalk, but it doesn’t seem as that drift was the cause of alcohol in his system.
Just because the state is not going after him doesn’t mean the family can’t sue him for wrongful death.
@saturngal I’m sure they will make a case for just a standard manslaughter charge and go after him. The courts and prosecutions are slow because we have so many repeat offenders because nobody ever gets a good punishment or high enough bail.
Whether drunk or sober he still “drifted” onto the sidewalk where he should not be, and killed that young man. How there are not some type of charges is beyond me, and what type of precedence is this setting when you can drive your vehicle off the road, kill someone and then face no consequences. Either there is a whole lot more to the story, or someone just got away with murder.
So he runs off the road and kills someone , that seems reckless to me.
Your body processes about 1 drink per hour. If you start at noon and end at 2PM and get tested at 3pm your blood alcohol level should be near zero. (Beer at noon, 1, and 2pm)
This is odd – by his own admission he had drank 3 beers. This does not indicate he was impaired while driving – but how could the tests show zero alcohol in his system?