Pasco man arrested after passenger thrown from ATV, killing: FHP

SPRING HILL, Fla. – A Spring Hill man was arrested after a passenger died when he fell from an ATV he was driving, officials said.

The Florida Highway Patrol said around 8:48 p.m. Sunday, 32-year-old Ford K. Perkins was driving a Polaris ATV side-by-side north on a private road behind a Sunoco gas station at 16621 Shady Hills Road.

Perkins allegedly began driving in circles before losing control, causing the ATV to roll over and eject the 35-year-old man, who was sitting in the passenger seat, from the vehicle.

FHP said the ATV then “ran over” the victim, who died from his injuries in the accident. The second passenger, a 24-year-old man, and Perkins were uninjured in the incident.

Perkins fled on foot before he was found a short distance from the scene of the accident. According to officials, he was arrested for manslaughter under the influence of alcohol and leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death.