A Cuban businessman identified as Carlos Blanco lost his life this Friday after being involved in a serious chain collision at the intersection of Avenue 87 and Street 36 in the northwest area of Doral, Florida.
According to Univision, relatives and close friends of the deceased stated that Blanco suffered a cardiac episode moments before the accident, which may have caused him to lose control of the vehicle.
A possible cardiac episode while driving
The accident occurred just before 11 in the morning at one of the busiest intersections in Doral.
The victim was driving a red GMC pickup truck heading south when they suddenly crossed into oncoming lanes, ran a red light, and ended up on top of a stopped white car, causing a chain reaction collision involving six vehicles.
Relatives of Blanco, who preferred to remain anonymous, told Univision that he was the driver of the red GMC and that he reportedly suffered a heart episode seconds before the incident.
He was described as the manager of Satcha Bowling and it was noted that he had recently returned to Florida.
The testimony of the witnesses
Several witnesses reported observing unusual behavior from the vehicle before the crash.
One of them reported to Telemundo 51: "The red truck was coming from the north heading south, on the wrong side of the lane, at an incredible speed. It seemed like something happened to the driver; to me, it sounded like he had a heart attack based on what they were saying and pressed the gas, and didn't stop until he crashed into the car in front."
A witness who identified himself as a pastor described the moment when paramedics were trying to revive the driver.
“They were performing CPR on him. He wasn’t responding. I was praying for him there, but no... I am a pastor,” he stated to the same outlet.
The violence of the impact left those who witnessed it in a state of shock.
"We heard a very loud noise. An explosion. At that moment, I saw the police and the firefighters," recounted another witness to Telemundo 51.
One of the affected drivers recounted the moment to Univision: "The car was coming right at me, I was talking to someone and I said, 'Look at this person, how are they going to hit me?' and they hit me."
A wounded victim described the physical consequences: “I have bruises in several places, and I hit my head on the car because the car bounced.”
A witness who saw the driver of the white car trapped among the metal described what he observed in this way: "The man seemed to have a broken head; I saw two parts, one here and the other here."
Massive emergency operation
The magnitude of the disaster necessitated the declaration of a Level 1 Mass Casualty Event.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue dispatched nearly 18 emergency units, including the Technical Rescue Team, which used the so-called "Jaws of Life" to extract the driver of the white car, trapped among twisted metal with the doors torn off and the airbags deployed.
"We had to use our technical equipment to open one of the cars to rescue one of the patients," a fire department spokesperson confirmed to Univision.
The head of Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, Rogelio Vandamas, specified that there were "two critical patients, one of whom was transported by air rescue and the other by ground to a hospital in the area."
In total, six people received medical attention: four were evaluated and discharged at the scene, and two were taken to hospitals.
Hours later, authorities confirmed that one of the hospitalized individuals did not survive; the other was airlifted to Jackson Memorial Hospital.
Ongoing investigation
The Traffic Homicide Unit of the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office has taken on the investigation to clarify the circumstances of the accident and determine if there is any liability.
In Florida, when a death results from a traffic accident, this specialized unit intervenes regardless of the driver's intent.
The police had not officially confirmed the identity of the deceased by the time the first reports were released. The identity of Carlos Blanco was revealed by family members and close friends who spoke with Univision.
A family member who wished to remain anonymous asked the media to respect their grief. The intersection was closed for several hours and reopened on Friday afternoon.
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