What to Know
- The first crash occurred along I-95 northbound at Northwest 62nd Street just before 1 a.m.
- In addition to the four fatalities, 11 people were injured with seven transported to the hospital – six of them to Ryder Trauma Center.
At least one driver was arrested after a pair of early morning crashes on two major Miami-Dade roadways killed a total of six people and sent over a half dozen others to the hospital Friday.
The first crash occurred along Interstate 95 northbound at Northwest 62nd Street just before 1 a.m. when a group of motorcyclists stopped to help another person on a motorcycle who had crashed, authorities said. Minutes later, a white van crashed into the group, causing the mass casualty scene.
"According to several witnesses on the scene, some vehicles stopped to assist the initial accident with one of the motorcycles that went down and moments later that vehicle collided with that vehicle and had caused a chain reaction of hitting multiple people that were on the street," Miami Fire Rescue Capt. Ignatius Carroll said.
Two people were killed at the scene and 11 people were injured with seven transported to the hospital – six of them to Ryder Trauma Center, where two more later died.
The victims were later identified 21-year-old Alina Ghani, 38-year-old Eugene Benjamin, 25-year-old John Brady Garzon and 27-year-old Meryl Diaz.
Florida Highway Patrol officials said the driver of the van, Lionel Orrego, was arrested and is facing charges including four counts of DUI manslaughter, two counts of DUI with serious bodily injury and three counts of DUI with property damage.
After several hours of closures, the roadway reopened just before 8 a.m.
The second incident occurred just before 4 a.m. in the northbound lanes of the Florida's Turnpike just before the interchange with Interstate 75.
Local
FHP officials said the single-car crash involved an SUV that hit a guardrail and rolled over. A total of five people were involved in that crash with two women pronounced dead at the scene after being ejected.
The women were identified as 35-year-old Yamilca F. Cisnero de Vazquez and 60-year-old Maria Ines Suss, both of Homestead.
Three people were hospitalized, including a 3-year-old boy who was airlifted after being ejected as well, according to the FHP.
The cause of the crash is being investigated.
