At the site of what was a tragic crash now stands a touching tribute to 64-year-old Angel Morales.
Flowers and candles form a makeshift memorial to honor the memory of the man remembered by family as a devoted husband, father and grandfather.
Morales was killed in a collision Friday between his C.O.D. Supply delivery truck and an unmarked Miami Police Department cruiser in Allapattah at the intersection of Northwest 28th Street and Northwest 25th Avenue.
Two officers were injured in the crash, while Morales' family has been left to grapple with their grief.
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“His time spent was at home with his wife, my mother, or at work,” said Morales’ stepdaughter, Janet Vega, in an exclusive interview with NBC6 Wednesday. “…Extremely difficult. Nobody ever wants to see your mother breaking down like that. It was very difficult.”
Vega said Morales had already retired from his role as a driver for C.O.D. Supply but was working part-time to earn extra money for his family.
She said their family is not only battling bereavement but seeking solace.
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“We want to know what happened. And nobody is giving answers. We clearly know it was an accident, a tragic accident. And that's all we know. That's all we know,” Vega said.
Travis Stulz, the managing partner of Weinstein Legal in Orlando, is representing the family.
Sulz said he’s uncovered a new lead in the crash that claimed Morales’ life.
“There was a witness on the scene who was on one of the corners when the crash occurred. Her statement is that the police were the ones that actually crashed into Mr. Morales's vehicle,” he said. “Based on the pictures, and where the vehicles ended up, it appears to us that Mr. Morales would have had the right of way.”
As Stulz and his team continue their own investigation, he said they are eager to examine the vehicles involved.
“That's one of the things with police investigations. They tie up these vehicles, so we can't go and then do our own investigation," he said. "Right now, we have an engineer and an accident reconstructionist on standby. As soon as we're allowed to do the vehicles we want to because there's valuable evidence in there with the black boxes."
In response, the City of Miami Police Department expressed their condolences to the Morales family and promised a thorough and detailed investigation into how and why the crash happened.
Without clear answers, the Morales family is determined to honor Angel's memory, cherishing the love he had for his family.
“Like, there's not a time that he [spoke] about them, that he doesn't have tears in his eyes,” she said.
The family has launched a GoFundMe account to cover Morales’ medical expenses.
