Lawsuit filed against city of Hialeah

Woman killed after crash with Hialeah police cruiser

HIALEAH, Fla. – A lawsuit has been filed against the City of Hialeah regarding a fatal car crash that took the life of 21-year-old Andrea Castillo and critically injured 23-year-old Marco Barrios.

The crash, which involved a Hialeah police cruiser, happened on Oct. 19, 2012 at the corner of East 9th Court and 49th Street in Hialeah. 

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Barrios' attorney, John Leighton, says he obtained new surveillance tape from a car dealership across the street from where the incident happened.

READ: Lawsuit and demand for jury trial

The surveillance tape reportedly shows what happened just after the 2012 black Jeep driven by Barrios was broadsided by a cruiser driven by Hialeah Police Officer Raul Somarriba.

The crash sparked controversy after Castillo's mother, Miami-Dade School Board member Susie Castillo, questioned the decision to transport Somarriba to the hospital via air rescue, while her daughter was taken to the hospital by ambulance.

Susie Castillo believes her daughter may have survived if she had been taken to the hospital by air rescue like the officer was.