Fatal crash on Red Road splits car in half

FHP believes speed played factor in crash

OPA-LOCKA, Fla. – One person is dead after a fatal crash that closed a stretch of Red Road early Friday in northwest Miami-Dade County.

According to the Florida Highway Patrol, a car struck a metal pole that holds signs directing drivers to Florida's Turnpike, splitting the car in half.

The driver was pronounced dead at the scene.

A view from Sky 10 showed the mangled mess and a body covered by a yellow tarp.

One woman who lives nearby told Local 10 News reporter Madeleine Wright that she heard the crash from her third-story apartment unit.

"It's pitch dark and they're sick, so I'm trying to get to sleep and all I hear is a big thud," the woman said. "I mean, I've heard -- there's car wrecks out here all the time. And you know, the difference between cars hitting cars, squealing, there's crunching sounds. This was just boom, like they hit a wall."

Speed is believed to have been a factor in the crash.

The northbound lanes of Red Road were shut down from Honey Hill Road to Florida's Turnpike during the crash investigation.

The victim's identity has not been released as authorities work to notify his family.