AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENT ON I-95 IN FT. LAUDERDALE KILLS PASSENGER
A deadly I-95 head-on wreck early in the morning snarled morning rush hour traffic Friday in Ft. Lauderdale, troopers are still investigating to determine if one of the vehicles had been going the wrong way. Another possibility troopers were considering is that one vehicle might have spun out just before hitting the other.
"We just have to make sure we have all our information before making a determination," said Florida Highway Patrol Lt. Gene Hingson, who said investigators could make a ruling within days.
Killed in the 4:18 a.m. crash was Aracely Mendoza, 23, of Miami, a passenger in a white 2005 Ford van that collided with a silver 2003 BMW in the southbound lanes of I-95 at Commercial Boulevard, authorities said.
The wreck shredded the entire front half of the BMW and tore into the front passenger side of the van where it appears that Ms. Mendoza was seated at the time of the crash. Police shut the busy highway for several hours, and thousands of drivers on their morning commute inched by heaps of crumpled metal and shattered glass.
The BMW's driver, Davydson Soares, 31, of Pompano Beach, was taken to Broward General Medical Center in serious condition but released Friday afternoon. Troopers said he was not wearing a seat belt.
Highway accidents caused by a driver going the wrong way are not rare, even on well-traveled, well-lit highways. An analysis of accident data found there were 166 fatal wrong-way crashes on divided highways in Florida from 2002 to 2007. At least 212 people were killed in those crashes and more than 250 injured.
The van's driver, Elba Matamoros, 39, and two passengers, Ponya Carrera, 24, and Ruby Castenerra, 29 — all Miami residents, were taken to Broward General Medical Center for treatment. They declined to speak with reporters as they left the hospital Friday afternoon in bandages.
Troopers are currently investigating whether either of the drivers had alcohol in their system at the time of the crash.
