A pickup truck, seemingly disregarding a stop sign in a Westchester neighborhood, caused a collision with a van, resulting in one fatality and at least two injuries. The impact of the crash sent debris flying into the air.
Ana Lourdes shared with CBS News Miami’s Peter D’Oench that her son, 30-year-old Alexi Gonzalez, and a 24-year-old co-worker who had recently arrived from Cuba were in the van at the time of the accident.
Lourdes stated that “All we can do is pray for the two young men. I came over here to see if there was anything that can be salvaged in the van. It was his assistant who was with him. He was about 24 years old. My son has a company that remodels bathrooms.”
She mentioned that her son’s business specializes in installing tiles in bathrooms.
Law enforcement reported that the individuals were in a critical but stable condition.
Authorities were in pursuit of two individuals who were in a pickup truck and fled the crash scene near SW 92nd Avenue and SW 21st Terrace shortly after 8 a.m. Officials stated that the incident involved a collision between a westbound pickup and a southbound van at a traffic intersection.
Tragically, one person in the pickup lost their life during the crash, while the two occupants of the work van were swiftly taken to HCA Florida Kendall Hospital. Their condition was described as critical but stable. The identities of the victims were not immediately disclosed.
According to Miami-Dade Fire Rescue officials, the initial report indicated a vehicle crashing into a building, but surveillance footage from a neighborhood camera revealed that the westbound pickup ran a stop sign before colliding with the southbound van.
Live footage from the scene displayed a significant debris field, with vehicle parts scattered across the area.
Police became aware of the accident after responding to a robbery report at a nearby convenience store located at SW 88th Avenue and Coral Way. Interestingly, the store is ironically named “On the Run.” On Friday afternoon, Miami-Dade police officers were observed inside the store, inspecting surveillance tapes.
Martin said “At this time there is nothing to indicate that the Miami-Dade schools police officer was pursuing the vehicle. The information we have is that the vehicle fled when it became aware of the officer. The wreckage is pretty horrific so there is a good chance that the people who fled were injured.”
Miami-Dade Police detective Andre Martin stated that, “Thankfully no one else was injured. This happened around 8 o’clock at a time when children are going to school and citizens are going to work. This could have been much worse. This could have been a much more tragic accident.”
Neighbor Armando Solana said, “This is disturbing, very disturbing. This is a family neighborhood and this is a Main Street. You should be more cautious.”
The individuals involved in the robbery escaped the vicinity prior to the arrival of the officers. As the police conducted their investigation into the robbery, they combed the neighborhood and stumbled upon the wreckage.
The investigators couldn’t furnish a description of the two individuals who departed, prompting the police to seek assistance from the public in locating them.
Source: CBS News
