Alejandro Solis	Tragedy Cuts Life With Promising Future-10/22/08	Article
	October 19, 2008	Student Who Died In Fall Was Drunk-12/13/08	Article
	USF Polytechnic
	Article Summaries and Excerpts Below	Does this need to happen to Alejandro and others?

usf polytechnic honor student

Tragedy Cuts Life With Promising Future

By John Chambliss
The Ledger

Published: Wednesday, October 22, 2008 at 11:20 p.m.

LAKELAND | Priscella Ybarra can't make sense of her fiance's death early Sunday.

As Ybarra drove on U.S. 17 in Hardee County, 23-year-old Alejandro Solis, a student at USF Polytechnic, opened a rear door of the Ford Explorer and fell out. He struck his head on the pavement and died later at a hospital.

"He said, 'I'm just going to get out,'" Ybarra, 22, said Wednesday. "By the time I knew it, he was out."

Solis of Bartow was concluding a college career filled with accolades and was ready to embark on a business career. The father of two sons with Ybarra was set to graduate with honors and had been selected as the school's Outstanding Senior.

Solis, the first in his family to attend college, was a member of the Delta Sigma Pi business fraternity and was an intern at Allen & Company, a Lakeland investment firm.

Saturday was a day of celebration for Solis and his friends. Solis had been named homecoming king of USF Poly and had walked onto the field during halftime of USF's football game in Tampa.

After the game, Solis, Ybarra and five friends went to a Wing House, then to a dance club in Palmetto in Manatee County.

Ybarra dropped off friends in the Bowling Green area and was turning south on U.S. 17 at Grape Street when Solis, riding in the backseat, fell out of the car.

"Whether he stepped out, tried to jump out or fell, we don't know," Bowling Green Police Chief John Scheel said.

Solis was flown to Tampa General Hospital, where he died from a skull fracture because of blunt impact to the head, said Henry Poage, Hillsborough County senior forensic investigator.

A toxicology report should be completed in about six weeks, Poage said.

Ybarra said it was an alcohol-fueled day, and that Solis drank far more than usual.

"He had been drinking all day," she said. "It (the alcohol) took over."

Solis was well known among his college classmates and was making contacts in the business community.

Sherrie Long, director of marketing for Allen & Company, said Solis would have been a "fine candidate and was being considered" for a job.

The two had lunch at Fish City Grill at Lakeside Village last week. They talked about Solis' future and how important it was to have a college education.

"He wanted to finish for his children," Long said. "He was very diligent."

Solis used his finance and management major to help Ybarra run their hair salon, Priscella's Fabulous Touch in Fort Meade.

The son of field workers in Wauchula, Solis was one of seven siblings.

Longtime friend Jennifer Hand recalled that he had also taken homecoming king honors in high school.

A soccer star in high school, he met Ybarra in eighth grade. They dated for nine years before Solis proposed Aug. 22.

Solis pulled out a big, fake, pink diamond ring and got onto one knee.

Ybarra said she thought he was joking.

"You know you're not supposed to be playing around like that," Ybarra told Solis.

Solis then began to cry and handed Ybarra a real ring.

"He had told me that he wasn't going to ask until after he graduated," Ybarra said. "It was a real shocker."

The couple have two sons, Alejandro Jr., 4, and Seann, 11 months.

Ybarra said she tries not to cry in front of the children.

"If the kids are around, I can't cry," Ybarra said. "When I'm by myself and kids are asleep, that's a whole different story."

[ John Chambliss can be reached at john.chambliss@theledger.com or 863-802-7588. ]

Student Who Died In Fall Was Drunk

Medical examiner says homecoming king had a high blood-alcohol level.

By John Chambliss      Top of  page
THE LEDGER

Published: Wednesday, December 3, 2008 at 9:50 p.m.
Last Modified: Wednesday, December 3, 2008 at 9:50 p.m.

LAKELAND | The USF Polytechnic student who died in October after falling out of a moving Ford Explorer in Bowling Green was legally drunk, according to Hillsborough Associate Medical Examiner Leszek Chrostowski.

Alejandro Solis, who had been named homecoming king of USF Poly the day before he died, had a blood-alcohol reading of 0.11, Chrostowski said. Under Florida law, a person is presumed to be intoxicated at 0.08.

Solis' fiancee, Priscella Ybarra, was driving a Ford Explorer about 3:15 a.m. on Oct. 18 when Solis, of Bartow, opened a rear passenger door and fell out.

Solis, 23, struck his head on the pavement or a curb, and died from a skull fracture after he was flown to Tampa General Hospital.

A friend of Solis' told Bowling Green police Capt. Brett Dowden that before the accident the honor roll student appeared angry at a dance club in Palmetto.

In the club restroom that night, a friend told Solis to ease up on Ybarra, saying she had not done anything to anger him, Dowden said.

A father of two sons with Ybarra, Solis, the first in his family to attend college, was a member of the Delta Sigma Pi business fraternity and was an intern at Allen & Company, a Lakeland investment firm.

That Saturday was a day of celebration for Solis and his friends. Solis had walked onto the field during halftime of USF's football game in Tampa after the homecoming king announcement.

After the game, Solis, Ybarra and five friends went to a Wing House, then to the dance club.

After Ybarra dropped off friends in the Bowling Green area, Solis, riding in the rear passenger seat, told her that he wanted to drive his own car.

Ybarra told him no.

Seconds later, the door opened and Solis fell out as Ybarra turned the vehicle at about 20 mph.

There were no signs that Ybarra was drinking, Dowden said. In addition, Dowden said she would have been unable to push Solis out of the vehicle while she was driving.

"There's no way she could have done that," Dowden said. "Alcohol use and one poor decision resulted in his death."

A fund has been set up for Solis' sons, Alejandro Jr. and Seann, at any MidFlorida Federal Credit Union.

[ John Chambliss can be reached at john.chambliss@theledger.com or 863-802-7588. ]

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