Taxi cab passenger killed in Miami crash involving dump truck

7 others taken to hospitals after crash caught on surveillance video

MIAMI – One person was killed and several others were injured Friday in a crash involving a city of Miami dump truck.

Miami Department of Fire-Rescue Capt. Ignatius Carroll Jr. said seven people were taken to area hospitals after the crash at Northwest 17th Avenue and Northwest Seventh Street.

Ten people were treated at the scene, one person was taken to the University of Miami Hospital and the rest were taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital, Carroll said. A 7-year-old boy was among those hospitalized.

Rescuers arrived to find vehicle debris strewn across the intersection. Among the vehicles involved in the crash were a taxi cab, a medical transport van and a city of Miami Department of Public Works dump truck.

Police said 11 vehicles, including a scooter, were involved in the crash.

"This is probably like one of the worst incidents that we've seen that involved a city vehicle," Carroll said.

Surveillance video from a nearby business showed that the dump truck slammed into the back of the cab, which was stopped in traffic on 17th Avenue. It did not appear that the driver attempted to break before hitting the cab.

Police said the initial crash started a chain reaction that damaged eight other vehicles.

Willy Acosta, assistant manager of Diamond Cab, said his driver was critically injured and a passenger was killed in the crash. Acosta told Local 10 News that the passenger was a woman who is a longtime customer.

"She takes a cab practically every day to go to Walgreens, to do little things," Acosta said. "She lives alone."

The taxi driver, Austin Zvend, 59, was listed in serious condition. All other patients have requested anonymity.

Police are investigating what led to the crash.

Just in-Mass casualty #Miami crash is recorded on store cam. City truck full speed, no time to react @WPLGLocal10 pic.twitter.com/X4aHz5Xsp6

— Glenna Milberg (@GlennaOn10) April 8, 2016


About the Authors:

Peter Burke returned for a second stint of duty at Local 10 News in February 2014.

Glenna Milberg joined Local 10 News in September 1999 to report on South Florida's top stories and community issues. She also serves as co-host on Local 10's public affairs broadcast, "This Week in South Florida."