2 Teens Killed In Car Crash, Another Injured

HIALEAH, FL — Two teenagers were killed and another was seriously injured when a Toyota pickup crashed into their car on Monday during the evening rush hour. An 18-year-old man died at the scene when he was thrown from the Toyota Corolla. The driver and another passenger were both taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital's Ryder Trauma Center in critical condition, where the 18-year-0ld passenger later succumbed to his injuries.

Miami-Dade Police said their black Corolla was struck by a white Tacoma that was heading south on NW 74 Avenue when it began to cross NW 173 Drive.

The accident occurred shortly after 5:30 p.m. Students at Mater Academy Lakes High School told Local 10 News that they remembered the teens on Tuesday by releasing 36 blue balloons, symbolic of the combined ages of the victims.

"Everybody was like quiet inside," a teenage girl at the school told the news crew.

"The white Toyota pickup struck the black Toyota sedan, causing it to slide onto the median," explained Detective Argemis Colome of the Miami-Dade Police Department. "The black Toyota sedan then struck a fire hydrant and a tree, ejecting one of the passengers."

Colome said that the driver and passenger from the Corolla were taken to Jackson Memorial by Miami-Dade Fire Rescue. The driver of the white Tacoma pickup was not injured. He was identified as 18-year-old Daniel Medina of the 17300 block of NW 74 Avenue, Miami.

Police identified the teenager who died at the scene as 18-year-old Cristian Arocha of the 9000 block of NW 178 Lane in Miami. The other passenger in the car was identified Sebastian Delgado of the 8300 block of NW 191 Lane, who died on Tuesday at Ryder.

The driver of the Corolla was identified as 19-year-old Jonathan Sanchez of the 6700 block of NW 169 Street in Hialeah. He was taken to Ryder in critical condition.

Photo by Paul Scicchitano