BONITA SPRINGS, Fla. — A 39-year-old man and his dog were killed Saturday night in what the Florida Highway Patrol says was a drunk driving crash in Bonita Springs.
It happened on Pennsylvania Avenue near Rio Vista Circle.
Click here to see Fox 4 Community Correspondent Victoria Quevedo speak to neighbors who rushed outside after hearing the crash
Troopers say 25-year-old Alfredo Matias Burgos was driving when his vehicle left the roadway as he approached a curve. The SUV jumped the sidewalk and hit a 39-year-old man and 37-year-old woman who were walking their dog.
The man died at the scene. The woman was taken to a hospital in critical condition. The dog also died in the crash.
"We were at home, and about 9:30 and we heard some kind of loud bang or thump, but you couldn't really tell what it was," said Adam Feist, who lives next door to the victims.
Feist rushed outside when he heard the impact.
"We found the dog who was beat up pretty bad, died instantly, no doubt. And it was just a pretty horrific scene," Feist said.
He described his neighbors as a wonderful, vibrant young couple. Feist said the woman was conscious when paramedics carried her from the woods to an ambulance.
The crash shook Michelle Tamborino, who walks her dog Marley in the neighborhood every day.
"It just could have easily been us walking our dog. It's horrific, like it's dangerous," Tamborino said.
She said she's noticed changes in her neighborhood as Bonita Springs has grown.
"It used to be the sleepy, little pleasant town, and now all this progress, all this change, all this building up of downtown, the bars, the drinking, the festivals in the park," Tamborino said.
Burgos is charged with DUI manslaughter.
Both neighbors said there's no excuse for drunk driving.
"If you're drinking, don't take a chance," Feist said.
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