North Fort Myers man faces DUI charges in fiery Pritchett Parkway crash

A North Fort Myers man turned himself in at the Lee County Jail on Wednesday and faces DUI charges for a fiery August crash on Pritchett Parkway.

According to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, Sean Thomas Pierson, 19, was taken into custody on a warrant stemming from a crash that occurred on August 12. LCSO responded to a call about a single-vehicle collision with serious injuries on Pritchett Parkway in North Fort Myers. A crash investigation revealed that a 2000 Ford F-350 driven by Pierson was traveling northbound on Pritchett Parkway when it swerved to avoid a slower-moving vehicle.

The Ford veered and exited the roadway on the shoulder, then overcorrected and crossed over both travel lanes before leaving the road a second time, continuing north. The Ford crossed over a grassy field before slamming into a concrete wall, overturning, striking it a second time and bursting into flames before finally resting on its roof. Pierson and his 16-year-old passenger were able to extract themselves from the Ford before it was completely swallowed by flames.

Two witnesses to the crash said they were traveling on Pritchett Parkway when they observed the Ford speeding by before it cut them off. When they caught up to it, the Ford had already crashed into the concrete wall when they saw Pierson crawling out the driver’s side of the vehicle and the 16-year-old crawling out the passenger side. Due to the severity of their injuries, Pierson and the teenager were transported to Gulf Coast Hospital as trauma-alert patients.

The Gulf Coast Hospital medical team informed LCSO that Pierson had a medical BAC of 276. The teenager, who required surgery to repair the damage to his leg, told detectives about Pierson having to swerve while driving.

Pierson faces one count of DUI to cause serious bodily injury to another and one count of DUI causing property damage.