A West Palm Beach man will spend nine years in state prison after admitting he was drunk and high when he plowed into two men changing a tire along southbound I-95 near the Linton Boulevard overpass in Delray Beach, killing one of them. Michael Miller, 54, acknowledged investigators found he had used cocaine, marijuana and alcohol, and a later blood draw showed a blood-alcohol level of 0.147. One man who had been holding a flashlight suffered a hand injury, while the other victim died at the scene.
The judge agreed to Miller's request for a downward departure from Florida's standard sentencing guidelines and ordered nine years behind bars, with a mandatory minimum of four years, followed by two years of in-house arrest after his release, according to WPEC/CBS12. The plea and sentence were entered this week in a Palm Beach County courtroom.
Florida Highway Patrol investigators say Miller was behind the wheel of a 2015 Chevrolet Camaro when he drifted onto the paved shoulder and struck two men working on a Ford F-150, as reported by WPBF. After the impact that killed one man and injured the other, the Camaro continued down the shoulder, slammed into a guardrail, then hit another parked vehicle before finally stopping. Troopers later drew Miller's blood at Delray Medical Center, investigators said.
Sentence, plea and charges
According to the station's reporting, Miller pleaded guilty to one count of DUI manslaughter and two counts of driving under the influence causing injury. Prosecutors and the judge noted that the case stemmed from an October 2023 crash that shut down southbound I-95 at Linton Boulevard, and the nine-year term includes the four-year mandatory minimum required by state law, per WPEC/CBS12.
Roadside safety and local context
Changing a tire on the shoulder of an interstate is one of those chores every driver dreads for a reason. People are exposed to vehicles moving at highway speeds, and a single distracted or impaired driver can turn a breakdown into a tragedy in seconds. Safety officials and troopers routinely urge motorists to call professional roadside assistance when possible, flip on hazard lights, use reflective triangles or flares, and move well away from traffic while waiting for help.
The sentence brings legal closure to a crash that has rattled drivers in and around Delray Beach and renewed questions about impaired driving on crowded interstate corridors. Local courts and law enforcement agencies say they plan to keep leaning on a mix of enforcement and public education in hopes of preventing the next deadly roadside emergency.
