Boynton Beach Man Charged With Vehicular Homicide, DUI Manslaughter in 135mph Crash

Dale Drotar (Photo: Palm Beach County Jail)

A Boynton Beach man has been charged with DUI manslaughter in connection with an accident in April that claimed the life of a Boynton Beach woman who was a passenger in a vehicle he hit.

Authorities announced Thursday that Dale Drotar, 40, had been charged with one count each of vehicular homicide and DUI manslaughter and four counts each of reckless driving and causing injuries or damage during a DUI-related crash. He was being held at the Palm Beach County Jail.

According to a report from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, Drotar was driving his 2019 Chevrolet Corvette near the intersection of Military Trail and Cedar Point Boulevard when he was involved in a crash with a 2020 Toyota four door car at 10:02 p.m. April 6, 2025. Drotar, who was traveling northbound on Military Trail “at a very high rate of speed,” crashed into a vehicle that was turning left while the light at the intersection was green, the report said.

As the crash ensued, the Toyota was “ripped apart” and the right rear passenger, identified as Natalie Pierra, 25, of Boynton Beach, was ejected from the vehicle, according to police. The accident caused the entire seat and door areas to have to have been removed from the vehicle due to the “extreme crash forces acting on both vehicles.” Both drivers were transported to a local hospital for treatment, however Pierra, who was a rear-seat passenger in the Toyota, died at the scene.

A court filing stated Drotar, through a blood test, was found to have had a blood alcohol level of .12 – greater than Florida’s legal limit of .08 – at the time of the crash as well as traces of marijuana and morphine in his system. The same filing also stated an electronic data recorder from Drotar’s vehicle registered a maximum speed of 135 m.p.h. while he was driving in a 45 m.p.h. zone. The crash itself occurred at a speed between 135 m.p.h. and 128 m.p.h., the filing said.