Man charged with DUI manslaughter following fatal crash in April

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — A man from West Palm Beach is facing charges stemming from a crash last month that left a 37-year-old man dead, the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office said.

Ronald Ray Cook, 39, was charged with DUI manslaughter, vehicular homicide and cocaine possession.

On April 19 at 5:34 p.m., Cook and his passenger, Jessie Bernard Fleming of West Palm Beach, were speeding south on Congress Avenue, approaching the intersection of Gun Club Road in the inside lane, the sheriff's office said. Cook lost control of the 2010 Nissan Maxima as he tried to go over a left hand curve, causing the car to spin out.

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As the car was spinning, it skidded onto the center raised landscaped median and hit a large tree, according to the sheriff's office. The passenger side of the car hit the tree and "violently rotated at the base of the tree."

Fleming died at the scene, while Cook only had minor injuries.