This past weekend, a driver in Florida who had his license suspended approximately ten years before smashed into another car while driving the wrong way down the freeway, resulting in a horrific vehicle accident that claimed the lives of five people.
Around 4:30am local time on Saturday, 30-year-old Maiky Simeon was driving his Infiniti car near to Miami when he crashed it head-on into a Honda sedan at a high rate of speed. Four ladies and one guy perished in the collision.
Authorities have not released the identities of the passengers in the Honda, but GoFundMe sites and social media memorials opine that they were Valeria Cáceres, Valeria Pea, Daniella Marcano, Briana Pacalagua, and Giancarlo Arias.
After the horrifying hit, all five victims—who ranged in age from 12 to 25—died at the spot from their severe injuries.
Simeon, who was involved in the collision but managed to avoid death, is still receiving medical attention.
One automobile was seen on the road sideways, scarcely recognizable in the photos of the incident supplied by the Florida State Highway Patrol.
The passenger-side doors and the whole bonnet had folded inward, crumpling the car’s structure and shattering all of the windows.
Following the collision, it was seen that the road was covered in a sea of debris.
Around 4:30 a.m. on Saturday, Maiky Simeon, 30, was driving an Infiniti car near Miami in the westbound lanes of the Palmetto Expressway when he collided head-on with a Honda sedan.
At age of 18, skilled and award-winning artist Giancarlo Arias (shown) whose work is displayed at the Salvador Dali museum in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Daniella Marcano, 19, was described as ‘lovely, amazing, happy and the sweetest person ever,’ by one friend
Valeria Peña (pictured) was among the five victims of the horror crash on the Palmetto Expressway
Briana Pacalagua (pictured) was a ‘kind, lovely, amazing, sweet, caring and happy person’ who was ‘always careful on the road’
Valeria Cáceres (pictured) ‘was so young and full of life and loved by so many’, her sister said in tribute
One automobile was seen on the road sideways, hardly recognizable in the photos from the site that the Florida State Highway Patrol posted.
According to the Miami Herald, Simeon had his license taken away in 2014 after being caught driving 109 miles per hour.
But this tragic incident of speeding was just one of several traffic violations he had.
Before and after the 2014 arrest, Simeon was involved in a number of other events, including more speeding offenses and running red lights.
Commemorations for Simeon’s victims flooded social media and fundraising sites for their separate funerals as police continued their inquiries into his whereabouts before the terrible collision.
‘Today 5 lives are no longer a part of this earthly plane, 5 lives full of aspirations, goals and objectives today will no longer be a part of us,’ read a message on social media in Spanish devoted to all five of the people who died.
“It kills me more to know that family, friends, and all their loved ones will have to go through great agony because such young, gifted individuals won’t be able to accomplish what they had once hoped,” the speaker said.
Another friend wrote: “Everyone of us has a load of beautiful memories with her and we will remember those times like if it was today.” Daniella Marcano, 19, was described as “lovely, fantastic, cheerful, and the loveliest girl ever” by one friend.
Valeria Cáceres’ sister Isabella Espin said on her GoFundMe page: “She was so young, so full of life, and so loved by so many.”
Remember to always drive safely and express your love to those who are closest to you.
According to her sister Kiara, Briana Pacalagua was “always cautious on the road” and was “kind, gorgeous, fantastic, sweet, compassionate and cheerful,” but “nothing could’ve prepared her for what occurred [on Saturday].”
In the meanwhile, Luis Quiaro posted on Valeria Pea’s GoFundMe that he regretted not paying her a visit days before she passed away since she had advised him not to spend $30 on an Uber.
He commented gravely, “I will regret doing what you advised me and not attending.”
Giancarlo Arias, the last victim, was an accomplished and prize-winning artist who, at the tender age of 18, had work on display at the Salvador Dali museum in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Gian, I never got to tell you how proud I was of you, Heather Cipriani posted on the Instagram page of her class. You had such a lovely spirit and were such a gifted role model. This is the first time in my 21 years of teaching that I’ve ever felt such a loss.
GoFundMe sites created to raise money for the funerals of the victims have so far brought in more than $30,000.