Criss Oliva

WHO’S THE CRISS OLIVA
Christopher Michael “Criss” Oliva (April 3, 1963 – October 17, 1993) was an American musician who was the lead guitarist and co-founder of Savatage. During his lifetime, he released seven studio albums and one EP with the band.

DEATH
On October 17, 1993, at around 3:30 a.m., Oliva and his wife Dawn were driving north on Highway 301 on their way to the Fourth Annual Livestock Festival held in Zephyrhills, Florida, just north of Tampa. An oncoming car operated by a drunk driver crossed the median and struck Oliva’s 1992 Mazda RX-7 head-on. Dawn survived the crash, but Oliva was killed instantly. The drunk driver, who had seven prior drunk driving (DUI) convictions, survived with minor injuries and was later found guilty of DUI manslaughter, DUI serious injury and vehicular homicide, and served 18 months in prison of a five-year sentence.