Speeding driver ran red light before fatal crash with tractor-trailer, Delray police say

DELRAY BEACH — A man drove at least 25 m p h over the speed limit and ran a red light in the moments before a crash with a tractor-trailer that killed his passenger on Feb. 26, Delray Beach police said in arresting him this month.

David D'Ambrosio, 32, of Deerfield Beach is facing one count of vehicular manslaughter following his May 1 arrest in the death of Angela La Mantia.

City police investigators said D'Ambrosio was driving between 65 and 67 mph in a 40-mph zone that morning when he ran a red light at Linton Boulevard and Southwest Fourth Avenue and crashed a GMC Yukon SUV into a tractor-trailer owned by the Palm Beach County Solid Waste Authority.

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Investigators said they found the front of the GMC crushed under the truck.

La Mantia, 52, of Pompano Beach, had been riding in the front passenger seat. She died at the scene. Delray Beach Fire Rescue crews worked for about 30 minutes to cut the driver's side of the vehicle and free D'Ambrosio.

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Investigators said the SWA trailer was proceeding through a green light at northbound Southwest Fourth Avenue, just east of Interstate 95, when D'Ambrosio ran the red light on eastbound Linton. Multiple witnesses, including the tractor-trailer's driver, told investigators the GMC was speeding as it approached the intersection.

A reconstruction of the crash showed that D'Ambrosio was traveling at 1.6 times the posted speed limits as he approached Southwest Fourth. D'Ambrosio attempted to brake but could not stop in time to avoid the collision, police said.

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An investigator also noted that D'Ambrosio was driving on a license that has been suspended since November.

The arrest report did not specify the relationship between D'Ambrosio and La Mantia.

During a hearing at the Palm Beach County Jail, Circuit Judge Donald Hafele assigned D'Ambrosio a public defender, set bail at $50,000 and ordered that D'Ambrosio be placed on in-house arrest upon his release. He remained in custody as of Tuesday, May 7, the arrest report said.

As a policy, the county Public Defender's Office does not comment on open cases.

Julius Whigham II is a criminal justice and public safety reporter for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jwhigham@pbpost.com and follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @JuliusWhigham . Help support our work: Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Speeding driver ran red light before fatal crash with tractor-trailer, Delray police say