Witnesses sought in fatal I-275 crash

Nearly seven weeks ago, a 32-year-old construction worker died in a car crash on Interstate 275 near the Howard Frankland Bridge in Pinellas County.

The two drivers involved in the accident gave conflicting accounts of what happened, so neither driver is facing any charges. But someone else must have seen the rush hour accident on the afternoon of Aug. 12.

Now the deceased man's widow is asking witnesses to speak up.

"Somebody needs to be held accountable for my husband's death," said Tammy Dougher of Lutz. "But the investigators are at a standstill without witnesses. They have nothing to go on unless someone comes forward."

Her husband, 32-year-old Timothy Dougher of Lutz, was a passenger in an Isuzu truck that was rear-ended in the northbound lanes of I-275 about a half-mile west of the Howard Frankland. The truck flipped over several times, and Dougher died when he was thrown from the vehicle.

The accident happened about 4 p.m., at the beginning of a busy evening on the interstate -- the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were playing a preseason game that night at Raymond James Stadium.

"We're getting conflicting stories," said FHP Lt. Sterling King. "We don't have any witnesses to prove or disprove the account of either party."

Anyone with information about the accident is asked to call FHP Cpl. Dan Peterson, toll free, at 1-888-632-6859, ext. 323.

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