A tragic collision in Miami Gardens has resulted in the deaths of a woman and four children, with the driver of the vehicle that caused the crash, Antonio Wilcox Jr., being detained by police. The multi-vehicle incident, described as a "mass casualty incident" by Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, took place yesterday evening at the intersection of Northwest 170th Street and 37th Avenue, as reported by CBS News Miami.
The crash involved a white Nissan Altima, carrying the woman and children, a black Kia Sorento driven by 25-year-old Wilcox, and a silver Cadillac Escalade. According to officials, the Sorento rear-ended the Altima, which was pushed into the Escalade before coming to rest against a fence. In a statement obtained by NBC Miami, the driver of the Sorento has been detained and is currently in stable condition, but charges have yet to be disclosed.
As responders arrived, three individuals were extricated from the wreckage. In total, nine individuals were transported to local hospitals, with some being taken as trauma alerts to a Hollywood trauma center, as reported by CBS News Miami.
Miami Gardens Police Executive Officer Emmanuel Jeanty told WSVN, "Five fatalities. It’s going to be one adult female and four children." The condition of the other people involved in the crash remains undisclosed.
Miami Gardens Police believe that both speed and alcohol were factors in the collision. "Speed was a factor, and alcohol was also a factor," Jeanty said, according to an interview with WSVN. Wilcox is facing five counts of vehicular homicide, and additional charges could be forthcomings as the investigation continues and pending the results of toxicology reports. Traffic remained blocked along 37th Ave. between 169th and 171st Streets as detective conducted their inquiries into the night.
