SUV crashes through wall, seriously injuring couple

By LOGAN NEILL, Times Staff Writer
Published November 7, 2007

SPRING HILL - A 26-year-old Brooksville man is accused of driving under the influence and careless driving after his SUV crashed through the wall of an apartment Sunday night, injuring a man and woman who were lying in bed.

According to the Florida Highway Patrol, James M. Dennison was traveling south on Portillo Road at 9:45 p.m. in his 1992 Ford Explorer when he failed to negotiate a curve near the entrance to the Portillo Road Apartments. After smashing several small oak trees, the vehicle slammed into the corner bedroom of an apartment where Sarah E. Major, 34, and her boyfriend, Tracy Allen Sullivan, 27, were in bed.

The force of the impact crushed the concrete block wall and destroyed several interior walls, reports said. Rescue workers discovered Major and Sullivan next to the vehicle about 50 feet from the point of impact. Both were airlifted with serious injuries to St. Joseph's Hospital in Tampa, where they remained Tuesday. The hospital declined to release a condition report on either of them.

Dennison, who was not injured in the crash, was arrested and booked into the Hernando County Jail. A check of Dennison's Florida driving record listed several previous offenses, including driving with an invalid license and careless driving.

The hole in the couple's apartment was boarded up with plywood Monday and the Hernando County building department posted a sign stating that it was unfit for habitation.

Logan Neill can be reached at lneill@sptimes.com or 848-1435.

[Last modified November 6, 2007, 21:26:15]