CLEARWATER, Fla. — A Safety Harbor woman is behind bars facing DUI manslaughter charges after causing a fatal motorcycle crash on Saturday, according to Clearwater police.
- Nicole Zielinski faces DUI manslaughter charges
- Motorcyclist killed in Clearwater crash on Saturday
- Police say the crash followed a road rage incident
The crash occurred on South Fort Harrison Avenue and Belleview Boulevard in Clearwater just after 5 p.m.
Police said 29-year-old Nicole Zielinski was traveling south on Fort Harrison in a Hyundai Accent after allegedly being a victim of a road rage incident, while the motorcyclist, 56-year-old Jeffrey Pearl, was traveling north.
Zielinski made a left turn onto Belleview Boulevard directly in front of Pearl's motorcycle causing the crash, according to the report.
Pearl was thrown from his bike and suffered fatal injuries. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Following the crash, Clearwater Police say road rage suspect Stacey Lynne Maurer, 52, arrived to the scene and slapped Zielinski. She was arrested and is now facing battery and DUI charges.
Police said Zielinski and the two kids in her vehicle -- one of them being here child -- were uninjured. Though she reportedly showed signs of impairment and failed the field sobriety tests.
She was arrested at the scene for a DUI manslaughter charge and has since bonded out of jail. She also faces two child neglect charges since the children were in her vehicle during the time of the motorcycle crash.