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Teen's pickup slams into fuel tanker

Officials say the teen, who was seriously injured, may have been distracted by his cell phone.

By JACOB H. FRIES
Published March 29, 2007

OLDSMAR - The 17-year-old was on spring break and apparently distracted, possibly reading text messages on his cell phone Tuesday night as he drove west along Tampa Road, authorities said.

Ahead of the teen, a fully loaded fuel tanker had stopped in the roadway, preparing to cross the railroad tracks near State Road 580. It was 11 p.m.

Davin Dyslin, a Tarpon Springs High School junior, never slowed down, plowing his 1993 Ford pickup into the fuel truck at 45 mph, officials said. The tanker, carrying 8,500 gallons of gasoline, sustained significant damage, but never leaked or caught fire. The driver, Antonio Ruiz, 31, of Tampa was not injured.

Dyslin, however, who was not wearing a seat belt, was seriously injured, officials said. He was taken to St. Joseph's Hospital in Tampa, where he remained in intensive care on Wednesday.

"Nothing is life threatening at this point, as far as his body goes," said Jeff Litton, the boyfriend of Dyslin's mother. "He's a very able, strong kid and the doctors said that that's going to help him a lot in his recovery. ... They are very optimistic."

Litton said he wondered whether Dyslin's brakes may have malfunctioned. Dyslin recently had some work done to them and had scheduled an appointment with a mechanic for Wednesday.

"He's a very level-headed kind of kid," he said.

Dyslin works at a restaurant in Oldsmar and had just finished a shift Tuesday night when he got in his truck. Litton said he assumed Dyslin was headed home to Clearwater.

Investigators said he was neither speeding nor impaired, but because he made no effort to slow or avoid the tanker, they believed he was likely distracted.

"This illustrates the need to put 100 percent of your attention to driving when you're behind the wheel," sheriff's Sgt. Jim Bordner said. "Using your cell phone, talking to a passenger, using the radio can all lead to a devastating crash."

Jacob H. Fries can be reached at jfries@sptimes.com or 445-4156.

[Last modified March 28, 2007, 23:33:49]