HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — Florida Highway Patrol troopers arrested a Ruskin man on charges of DUI manslaughter and multiple counts of DUI injury after a crash that killed a 3-year-old boy Wednesday night in Hillsborough County.
Troopers said the boy was in a Chevy truck driven by 20-year-old Marbella Valencia-Bustos. There were two adults in the truck, a baby, and four other children, ages 1, 3, 4, and 10. The truck was traveling eastbound on SR-674 in the inside lane approaching 27th Avenue.
John Rutland, 38, was driving a Toyota Camry southbound on 27th Avenue and attempted to drive across SR-674. Troopers said Rutland’s Camry entered the intersection and traveled into the path of the family’s truck. The front of Rutland’s Camry then collided with the driver side of the family’s truck, causing the truck to rotate and overturn.
Troopers said everyone in the truck was transported to Tampa General Hospital. The 3-year-old boy, Jacob Bustos, died from the injuries he suffered in the crash.
Eastine Tate works in a food truck on the corner where the accident occurred.
Her grandmother is an EMT who saw the crash and ran to help the three-year-old.
“She tried to give CPR for about eight minutes, and he was just staring at her, and then they did another 30 minutes to try and get him to come back, but it was a lost cause by then,” said Tate.
Rutland has been arrested before for DUI and possession of cocaine. He was arrested in 2003 for discharging a firearm from a vehicle.
Rutland’s nine-year-old daughter and five-year-old son were with him in the car at the time of the crash.
Everyone in both vehicles was wearing a seatbelt. Rutland is being held with no bond.WHAT OTHERS ARE CLICKING ON RIGHT NOW:
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