Driver arrested in wrong-way crash that killed 5 young friends on Palmetto Expressway
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A wrong way driver and 5 young people dead on the Palmetto Expressway
Articles on the Aug. 20 crash that took the lives of Giancarlo Arias, Daniella Marcano, Valeria Peña, Briana Pacalagua and Valeria Cáceres, all in their late teens or early 20s.
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Wrong-way crash on Palmetto kills five. ‘This is a criminal investigation,’ FHP says
‘It broke my soul’: Loved ones mourn 5 young adults killed in South Florida wrong-way crash
Driver in wrong way crash that killed 5 lost his license in 2014 after going 109 mph, records show
Driver arrested in wrong-way crash that killed 5 young friends on Palmetto Expressway
A man who troopers say was behind the wheel in a wrong-way crash that killed five young friends on the Palmetto Expressway has been arrested, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
Maiky Simeon, who lives in Miami-Dade County, is facing five counts of vehicular homicide, his arrest report shows. He was placed under arrest on Sunday, though he remains in the hospital.
“Troopers are awaiting the results of a toxicology report to determine if impairment was a contributing factor,” said FHP spokesman Lt. Alex Camacho. “If it is determined that Mr. Simeon was impaired at the time of the crash, additional charges will be filed.”
The 30-year-old continues to receive medical care at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami while being monitored by law enforcement officials after he was injured in the crash, Camacho said. He will be booked into jail once discharged from the hospital.
READ MORE: Wrong-way crash on Palmetto kills five. ‘This is a criminal investigation,’ FHP says
Investigators say Simeon crashed into another car while driving the wrong way on State Road 826 early Saturday morning, injuring himself and killing four women and one man in another car. Court records show Simeon has a troubled driving record, including a 2014 suspended driver’s license after police say he was caught driving at 109 mph in neighboring Collier County.
Simeon’s license was valid at the time of the crash, FHP told the Miami Herald on Sunday.
Citing the ongoing criminal investigation, troopers haven’t released the name of the victims who they say are between 18 and 25. Family members and friends have identified them as Valeria Cáceres, Valeria Peña, Daniella Marcano, Briana Pacalagua and Giancarlo Arias. Thousands amassed online over the weekend to grieve them and five GoFundMe campaigns were started to support their families, collectively raising nearly $50,000 as of Monday night.
Arantza Gamarra, who knew Peña and Cáceres since middle school, questions why the group of friends died so young. “It broke my soul,” the 17-year-old told the Herald on Sunday.
FHP: Driver didn’t try to avoid crash
There is no evidence that Simeon tried to avoid the collision, according to the arrest report.
At 4:25 a.m. Saturday, troopers say they were dispatched to a crash with multiple fatalities on State Road 826, just west of Northwest 57th Avenue, minutes after receiving an alert about a car speeding in the wrong direction on the highway for at least a mile.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue paramedics pronounced the five occupants of a Grey Honda Accord dead on scene, according to investigators. When the first trooper arrived, they observed rescuers attempting to extricate Simeon, who was trapped in the driver’s side of a silver Infiniti Q50. He was later taken with serious injuries to Jackson Memorial’s Ryder Trauma Center.
FHP says in the report that there were no pre-collision skid marks indicating that Simeon took any evasive action to avoid the crash.
“The defendant drove in willful disregard for the safety of persons by driving the wrong way at a high rate of speed and never attempted to take any evasive actions to avoid the crash,” an FHP corporal said in the report.
Miami Herald staff writers Howard Cohen, David J. Neal, Devoun Cetoute and Syra Ortiz-Blanes contributed to this report.
This story was originally published August 22, 2022 at 3:57 PM.
