PUNTA GORDA, Fla. - Lauryn Akey's smile radiates from every photo. The 21-year-old from Bradenton lived her life to the fullest, whether she was cheering on her University of South Florida Bulls with her mom and her best friend, spending hours fishing on the water with her boyfriend, or attending concerts to see her favorite artist, Taylor Swift.
Wrong-way DUI driver arrested in deadly crash
The backstory:
The Florida Highway Patrol said Akey's life was cut short early Sunday morning by a driver going the wrong way on Interstate 75 in Charlotte County. She was driving home from a wedding and had texted her family just minutes before the crash to tell them she had gotten gas and loved them.
Now, Akey's mother, Melinda Mucho, is working to focus on the joy and profound love her daughter brought to everyone who knew her.
Family remembers Akey's kindness
What they're saying:
"I just want everyone to know who she is and her spirit. And how she loved everyone. She was so kind," Mucho said.
Akey was preparing for a future dedicated to helping others. After graduating from USF next year, she planned to become a nurse.
"She would have done amazing things," Mucho said. "Her life was just on the horizon; her life was just getting started with her boyfriend. She was going to graduate next year, and I want everyone to see her and feel that."
#lovelikelauryn movement
Big picture view:
In the wake of the tragedy, Akey's friends started the hashtag #lovelikelauryn, creating a space on social media where her impact is being shared.
"You can look her up and see how loved she is. I just want everyone to feel that," Mucho said. "You can feel it by looking at her smile. I want everyone to see her and be like her. She was never mean to anybody. She brought people together, so many people together. Loved hard, loved so hard."
Driver facing DUI manslaughter, vehicular homicide charges
FHP said Dennis Lee Olson, 53, of Lehigh Acres, was driving drunk when his Ford F-150 made a U-turn into oncoming traffic on I-75, hitting Akey's car and another vehicle. Test results showed Olson's blood alcohol level was .222, nearly three times Florida's legal limit.
Olson, who has a prior driving while impaired conviction from Minnesota, is facing charges of vehicular homicide and DUI manslaughter. A Charlotte County judge ordered him to be held without bond.
Additional charges possible
What's next:
The state attorney's office indicated Olson could face additional charges, as the crash also seriously injured a woman and two children from Arcadia in a separate vehicle, leaving one child requiring surgery.
Akey's family is asking those who were impacted by her everlasting legacy to help keep it shining bright.
"I want to focus on be like her, look at her love and how she treats everyone and be that sparkler and light in this world. Because everyone is better because of it," Mucho said.
The Source: Information for this story was gathered by FOX 13's Kimberly Kuizon by attending a court hearing in Charlotte County, an interview with Lauryn Akey's family, past court records from Dennis Olson's previous conviction and information from the Florida Highway Patrol.