The driver was arrested after a DUI investigation.
A Hillsborough County Sheriff's deputy swerved off the road to avoid a head-on collision with a wrong-way driver Tuesday, Dec. 22.
Deputy William Barnes was traveling east on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard at 1:36 a.m. He had been dispatched to a reckless driver call at the intersection of Forbes Road and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.
As Barnes approached a small crest in the road, west of Gallagher Road, he saw an F-150 in his lane of travel. Barnes swerved right and left the roadway. As the F-150 passed him, Barnes realized it matched the description of the reckless driver.
Barnes conducted a traffic stop on the wrong-way driver, Fernando Ramirez, east of Valrico Road. After making contact with Ramirez, Barnes observed several indicators of impairment and requested a DUI unit, according to HCSO. After conducting a DUI investigation, Ramirez was arrested and transported to Orient Road Jail.
