Driver arrested after 2022 Orlando crash that split SUV in half and killed a passenger

ORLANDO, Florida. — An Orange County man is charged with drunken manslaughter in a 2022 car crash in Orlando that tore apart the SUV he was driving on Colonial Drive and killed his passenger.

According to documents, 29-year-old Davante Wilcoxson was booked into jail on Saturday.

The crash occurred at approximately 3:15 a.m. on August 4, 2022, near the intersection of Colonial Drive and Mills Avenue, police said. According to Wilcoxson's affidavit, the SUV was traveling east on Colonial Drive at a high rate of speed when it hit the positive grade of Mills and blew up. Upon landing, it spun clockwise and continued flying over the south curb of Colonial, where it side-swept a building and struck a concrete pole, breaking the vehicle in half.

The impact ejected Wilcoxson's passenger, Bakari Jackson, from the car and he was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead within an hour, police said.

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A witness to the crash told police he was at the stoplight next to CVS when the crash happened and saw Wilcoxson climb out of the wrecked SUV while Jackson stood motionless on the sidewalk. When the witness tried to call 911, he said Wilcoxson had already begun packing some of his belongings into the witness' vehicle, the affidavit states.

At the hospital, an officer meeting Wilcoxson asked to save blood for toxicology testing, the affidavit states. An analysis of the SUV's electronic data recorder confirmed the vehicle was traveling at a top speed of nearly 85 miles per hour before the brakes were applied, the document states. In addition, the speed limit for that section of Colonial Drive is 40 miles per hour.

The results of Wilcoxson's blood test, obtained by warrant, came back early the following month and showed an ethanol level of 0.092 g/dL. According to the affidavit, the result indicated that Wilcoxson had been driving under the influence of alcohol at the time of the accident.

Wilcoxson is charged with DUI manslaughter, vehicular manslaughter and driving without a valid license causing death or serious injury. He is being held without bail in the Orange County Jail.

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