Cops: Miami driver who hit pedestrian not at fault, cuffed for no license
A man is dead after walking into oncoming traffic at an Allapattah intersection Monday morning, according to City of Miami Police. The driver, who cops say is not at fault, was arrested for not having a license.
Officers responded to a 5:50 a.m. crash between the pedestrian and a grey Toyota Corolla near Northwest 36th Street and Northwest 31st Avenue, an intersection that houses several used car dealerships, reads an arrest report from Miami Police. The sedan’s driver, 50-year-old Darvin Valerio Cardenas Juarez, was headed westbound on Northwest 36th Street from the left lane when the man, who had earlier crossed the street’s eastbound lanes from south to north, stepped into the car’s path as it neared Northwest 31st Avenue.
Police shared the pedestrian was 80 years old, but have not released his identity as they locate his next of kin, said Miami Police spokesperson Officer Kiara Delva. He was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center for further treatment, read the report, where he was pronounced dead less than an hour after the crash.
Delva confirmed that Cardenas Juarez was not at fault despite hitting the driver, with his arrest report saying that the pedestrian “violated the vehicle’s right of way causing the collision,” but was cuffed for not presenting a valid driver’s license. Instead, he handed cops a state-issued ID card.. They later discovered he “has never been issued a Florida driver’s license.”
Cardenas Juarez was booked into Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center around 1:30 p.m. He has since been bonded out for $150 and faces a charge of driving without a valid driver’s license.
This story was originally published August 4, 2025 at 4:02 PM.
