A Miami Gardens man walked into custody on Wednesday to face a Broward County vehicular homicide charge tied to a crash that happened six years ago in Plantation. Investigators say the driver’s Subaru was flooring it in the final seconds before a left-turn collision that killed one person and injured another, a case pulled back into the spotlight after experts dug into the car’s data recorder and rebuilt the crash frame by frame.
Who Was Arrested And What The Records Show
Darryl Okeefe Efford, 41, turned himself in on March 24 and was booked on a vehicular homicide warrant before bonding out, according to the Miami Herald. An arrest affidavit cited by the paper says the Subaru was clocked at about 85.7 mph five seconds before the crash and hit roughly 100 mph one second before impact. Court records show Efford has pleaded not guilty and is asking for a jury to decide his fate.
Crash Scene And Vehicle Data
The collision happened on July 7, 2020, at the intersection of West Sunrise Boulevard and North State Road 7, where investigators say a 2019 white Subaru slammed into a 2013 black Mercedes that was making a left turn. The posted speed limit there was 45 mph. Detectives leaned heavily on the Subaru’s airbag control module, treating its stored readings as a crucial piece of forensic evidence. The affidavit does not identify the person who was killed or the person who was injured.
Investigation, Reconstruction And Why Charges Came Now
Plantation police signed the arrest affidavit in late December 2025 after an outside consulting agency’s reconstruction concluded the driver showed “willful and wanton disregard” for the safety of others and that a non-impaired, non-distracted driver would have made the same left turn as the victim, as detailed by the Miami Herald. That reconstruction and the black-box data appear to have pushed prosecutors to seek a warrant more than five years after the crash. Efford was taken into custody on March 24 and later released on bond while the case moves forward.
Legal Implications Under Florida Law
Under Florida law, vehicular homicide is defined as a death caused by operating a motor vehicle in a reckless manner likely to produce death or great bodily harm. The statute spells out when the offense is a second-degree felony and when it can be bumped up to a first-degree felony. See Florida Statutes 7782.071 for the statutory language and possible penalties. Enhanced penalties can apply if the driver knew a crash happened and failed to render aid.
What Happens Next
Prosecutors have not yet announced a court date beyond the initial bookings and Efford’s jury demand; arraignment paperwork and bond records show the case is still active. A lawyer listed in court records did not respond to requests for comment, and prosecutors will have to prove both recklessness and causation if the case reaches trial. For now, Efford remains free on bond while the legal fight over that 2020 crash plays out.
