Three men were sitting on a bus bench on the morning of Feb. 28 in Hialeah when a red Toyota Camry collided with another vehicle and then careened into the bench. In the aftermath of the fatal accident, a 69-year-old man died after being transported to the hospital, and two other men who were sitting on the bench at the time, a 35-year-old expectant father and a 45-year-old homeless man, were injured.
The 35-year-old, who was treated for unspecified injuries at Jackson Memorial Hospital and released later in the day, remarked to a local reporter that the red Camry seemed to be speeding when it struck the other vehicle at the intersection of 16th Avenue and West 42nd Street. Police are still investigating the accident, but a detective noted that the intersection contained a stop sign, which indicates that one of the drivers involved, identified as a 22-year-old and a 29-year-old, was negligent. Both drivers are cooperating in the detectives’ investigation.
Local news reporters contacted the grieving niece of the deceased man, who lived with him in Hialeah. She claimed the rest of his family resides in Cuba. The 35-year-old man reportedly left flowers and a stuffed animal at the scene of the crash in honor of the victim.
The 69-year-old man’s niece may now be saddled with his funeral expenses, medical expenses and potentially increased living expenses if both contributed to the household costs. However, if the police investigation reveals one of the drivers to have been negligent, she may be able to recover compensation in order to ease the burden of these expenses if she chooses to enlist the counsel of an experienced personal injury lawyer, who could assist her in filing a wrongful death claim.
Source: CBS Miami, “One Dead, Two Hurt When Car Slams Into Hialeah Bus Bench,” Summer Knowles, Feb. 28, 2013
