Florida Driver Faces Vehicular Homicide Charges After Wrong-Way Crash Killed 5 People

The wrong-way driver, who caused a crash on a Florida expressway, was charged with five accounts of vehicular homicide, the authorities said Monday.

Maiky Simeon, 30, was driving an Infiniti sedan in the westbound lanes of the Palmetto Expressway on Saturday morning when his car hit a Honda sedan, CNN reported.

Five people in the Honda sedan, including four women and one man aged between 18 and 25, were killed in the accident, the Florida Highway Patrol said. The victims were identified as Daniela Marcano, Valeria Cáceres, Valeria Peña, Giancarlo Arias, and Briana Pacalagua, who was driving the car, the New York Post reported.

The incident happened when the group was out celebrating Arias' scholarship, as he was soon heading to New York University.

According to the arrest report, Simeon, whose license was revoked about a decade ago, was driving in the wrong direction at a high speed for at least a mile when his car hit the other vehicle, killing all five passengers.

Simeon also sustained serious injuries in the crash, and was admitted to Ryder Trauma for treatment. The 30-year-old was stable as of Saturday afternoon.

"There were no pre-collision skid marks for vehicle 1 or evidence on the roadway indicating that the defendant took any evasive actions to avoid the crash," the affidavit said, NBC Miami reported. "The defendant drove in willful or wanton disregard for the safety of persons by driving the wrong way at a high rate of speed and never attempted to take any evasive actions to avoid the crash."

The police authorities continue to investigate the circumstances of the collision.

A highway patrol statement said troopers were awaiting the results of a toxicology report "to determine if impairment" was a contributing factor to the incident. If so, more charges could be filed against Simeon.

Simeon has been previously charged with several traffic violations between the years 2014 and 2017. Besides mere infractions such as speeding and no proof of insurance, he also faced criminal traffic charges such as driving without a license, as per Miami-Dade County's court records.

Florida Highway Patrol has asked people to come forward with any information about Simeon's activities before the crash by contacting 305-470-2500.