Investigation Underway After Fatal Car Fire In NW Miami-Dade
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – An investigation is underway after a fatal car fire in Northwest Miami-Dade.
The fire investigators described it as an intense fire when they got on the scene.
Witnesses said they thought a bomb had gone off.
"Like a lot of explosions there were," one witness said.
Miami-Dade police said it's still early in their investigation, but they believe a Mercedes and Honda Civic were speeding along NW North River Drive at around 3 p.m. Thursday.
"(They) were traveling at a high rate of speed, possibly racing from what they're gathering," said Det. Alvaro Zabaleta.
Inside the Mercedes, there was a man and woman and a toddler in a car seat in the back. There was just one man in the other car.
All four were trapped in their cars after the crash.
CBS4's Tiani Jones spoke with one woman who said her friend try to help.
"He tried to open the door, so that the guy went out and he went out," she said.
Her friend was able to help the man in the Civic escape. Police said he suffered minor burns.
However, the fire and the smoke was too much to get to the three people in the other car.
Witnesses said they could hear screams coming from the burning car but could do nothing.
"Miami-Dade fire rescue firefighters and paramedics had to work feverishly to put the fire out quickly and make one heroic rescue of an adult female that was pulled out of the fire with some severe burns," said Battalion Chief Danny Cardeso.
The woman was rushed to the Ryder Trauma Center.
The man driving the Mercedes and the toddler in the backseat both died on the scene.
A lot of the officers working the scene were at home preparing for dinner with their families when they got this call.
"Spread on the table, getting ready to have Thanksgiving, getting ready to sit down and do our blessings… and a phone call comes in that a toddler lost her life in a traffic crash. It puts a damper on everything," Zabaleta said.
He had a message for every driver.
"We can't urge the community enough. Speed kills. We need to be responsible when we're behind that wheel."