A violent chain collision that occurred this Friday in the city of Doral, in Miami-Dade County, resulted in one person dead and another hospitalized in critical condition, according to local authorities.
The accident occurred shortly before 11 a.m. at the intersection of Northwest 36th Street and Northwest 87th Avenue, when the driver of a red GMC van suffered a heart-related medical emergency, lost control of the vehicle, and crossed the intersection with the traffic light red, invading oncoming lanes and colliding head-on with a white car, according to the report by WSVN.
Three vehicles traveling behind the white car collided in a chain reaction after the initial impact, resulting in at least five units involved in the incident.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue declared the incident a Level 1 Mass Casualty Event and dispatched approximately 18 emergency units to the scene, including the Technical Rescue Team.
The driver of the white car was trapped under the truck, with the doors torn off and the airbags deployed.
The rescuers had to extract him from amidst the twisted metal and he was transported by helicopter to Jackson Memorial Hospital.
"We had approximately 18 units responding to this call, including our Technical Rescue units, who used the Jaws of Life to extract one of the patients from the vehicle. We had two critical patients, one of whom was transported by air rescue and the other by ground to a hospital in the area," stated the chief of Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, Rogelio Vandamas.
In total, six people received medical attention at the scene: four were assessed and released on-site, while two were transported to hospitals.
The driver of the red GMC was also taken by ambulance to receive treatment for his heart condition.
Hours later, the authorities confirmed that one of the hospitalized individuals did not survive their injuries, although they did not disclose their identity.
Gustavo Pérez, a survivor traveling with his wife and their dog Mia in a white Honda Pilot, described the moment of impact: "What surprises me is the speed that truck picked up. The truck started in front of me, running the red light, and suddenly crossed the intersection and hit all those cars."
Other witnesses reported that the force of the crash was so intense that they mistook it for an explosion: "We thought it was a small explosion," one of them told NBC Miami.
The intersection remained closed for several hours while investigators reconstructed the events, causing significant delays in traffic in the area. The road was reopened in the afternoon.
Given the nature of the incident, the Traffic Homicide Unit of the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office has taken over the investigation to determine the appropriate criminal responsibilities. The identity of the deceased victim has not been publicly disclosed at this time.
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