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Five people were killed in a horror car crash in Florida this weekend when a man who had his license revoked almost a decade ago smashed into them while driving the wrong way down the freeway.
Four women and one man lost their lives when 30-year-old Maiky Simeon, travelling east in the westbound lanes of the Palmetto Expressway close to Miami, drove his Infinti sedan directly into a Honda sedan at high speed at around 4:30am local time on Saturday.
The passengers in the Honda remain unidentified by authorities, but GoFundMe pages and social media tributes suggest their names were Valeria Cáceres, Valeria Peña, Daniella Marcano, Briana Pacalagua and Giancarlo Arias.
All five were aged 12-25 and died of critical injuries at the scene following the horrendous impact.
Simeon meanwhile escaped death but remains hospitalized after sustaining severe injuries as a result of the smash.
Images of the scene released by Florida State Highway Patrol showed one car turned sideways on the road, barely recognizable due to the extent of the damage.
The entire hood had folded in while both doors on the passenger’s side had been forced inwards, crumpling the car’s frame and blowing out all the windows.
A sea of debris was pictured littering the road in the aftermath of the crash.
Maiky Simeon, 30, was driving east in the westbound lanes of the Palmetto Expressway near Miami in an Infiniti sedan around 4:30 a.m. Saturday when he smashed head-on into a Honda sedan
Giancarlo Arias (pictured) was a talented and award-winning artist at 18 and had his artwork exhibited 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
Images of the scene released by Florida State Highway Patrol showed one car turned sideways on the road, barely recognizable due to the extent of the damage
Simeon had his license revoked in 2014 according to Miami Herald, who reported he lost the right to drive after being clocked at 109 miles per hour.
But this egregious speeding episode was just one of many driving related offences on his record.
Simeon had several other incidents including more speeding violations and running red lights to his name both before and after the 2014 charge.
As police continue their investigations attempting to retrace Simeon’s movements prior to the fatal crash, tributes for his victims poured in on social media and fundraising pages for their respective funerals and family members.
One social media post dedicated to all five individuals who lost their lives read in Spanish: ‘Today 5 lives are no longer part of this earthly plane, 5 lives full of dreams, goals and purposes today will no longer be part of us.
‘It hurts a lot to know that such young and talented people will not be able to achieve what they had one day dreamed but it hurts me more to know that family, friends and all their loved ones will have to go through immense pain.’
Daniella Marcano, 19, was described as ‘lovely, amazing, happy and the sweetest person ever,’ by one friend, while another wrote: ‘Every one of us have a bunch of good memories with her and we will cherish those moments like if it was today.’
Isabella Espin, the sister of Valeria Cáceres, posted on her GoFundMe: ‘She was so young and full of life and loved by so many.
‘Remember to always drive safe and let the people that are the closest to you know that you love them.’
Briana Pacalagua was a ‘kind, lovely, amazing, sweet, caring and happy person’ who was ‘always careful on the road’, according to her sister Kiara, who said that ‘nothing could’ve prepared her for what happened [on Saturday].’
Luis Quiaro meanwhile wrote on Valeria Peña’s GoFundMe that he regrets not visiting her days before her death after she told him not to spend $30 on an Uber.
‘I will regret doing what you told me, and not going,’ he posted solemnly.
The final victim, Giancarlo Arias, was a talented and award winning artist at the young age of 18, and had his artwork exhibited at the Salvador Dali museum in St. Petersburg, Florida.
His former art teacher, Heather Cipriani, wrote on her class’ Instagram page, ‘Gian, I never got to tell you how proud I was of you… You were such a talented role model and a beautiful soul. In my 21 years of teaching this is the first time I’ve ever felt such a loss.’
GoFundMe pages set up to raise money for the victims’ funerals have collectively raised over $30,000 so far.