MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Newly released video shows the moments a driver got on a busy South Florida expressway going in the wrong direction.
Moments later, that driver caused a deadly crash that claimed the lives of five young victims.
It happened at approximately 4:30 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 20 on the Palmetto Expressway near 57th Avenue.
The Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office released the new video that they will use in their case against that driver, Maiky Simeon.
All five people in the vehicle that Simeon hit were killed. He survived and was pulled from his vehicle by first responders.
A police report said Simeon was driving 80 mph and his blood alcohol level was nearly double the legal limit.
He now faces five counts of DUI manslaughter.
Recently, Simeon appeared in court in a wheelchair.
A judge ordered him to spend his pretrial time in jail and not on house arrest.
Local 10 News looked into Simeon’s driving history and found a speeding ticket in Collier County from 2014. It said Simeon was driving 109 mph in a 70 mph zone. Since then his driver’s license was suspended, but eventually reinstated.
Records also showed a slew of traffic violations for Simeon, though Florida Highway Patrol said he did have a valid license at the time of the crash.
The five victims were identified by family members as Briana Pacalagua, Daniela Marcano, Valeria Peña, Giancarlos Arias and Valeria Caceres.
They were all between the ages of 18 and 25.
Family members spoke to Local 10 News after Simeon’s recent court hearing.
“They were wonderful kids full of dreams that they won’t be able to accomplish,” said Ingrid Herrera, Pacalagua’s aunt.
GoFundMe accounts have been set up for the families of Pacalagua, Marcano, Peña, Arias and Caceres.