Deadly Crash At Miami Dade College Campus In Liberty City
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Classes resumed Tuesday afternoon at one of Miami-Dade College's campuses following a fiery crash that took several hours of clean-up.
Miami-Dade College's Carrie P. Meek Entrepreneurial Education Center at 6300 NW 7th Avenue cancelled classes Tuesday after a car crashed into the building's entrance.
Miami police received word just after midnight that a car had slammed into the front of the building.
Witnesses told police the 2013 silver Lincoln sedan was speeding down NW 7th Avenue when the driver lost control to avoid hitting a bus stop where people were standing.
The car, according to witnesses, may have been going as fast as 100 mph.
While many witnesses ran away from the car after the crash, Julius Miller, a nearby security guard, and two other men ran toward the scene—even after the car burst into flames.
"There was bodies in the car. If it was me, I'd want someone to help me," said Miller.
Thanks to Miller and the others, three male passengers were transported to the Ryder Trauma Center where two are stable and one is in critical condition. One man died in the car. Friends on the scene say he was just 16 years old.
"Two of the guys pulled a short midget out of the back seat, they knocked the window out. And the guy that had landed on the hood, they snatched him off and sat him on the sidewalk," said Miller.
Rodney Payne, a witness, said he witnessed the car flying down Northwest 7th avenue, just as the driver crossed 62nd street.
"I guess (the driver) tried to miss some of the guys at the bus stop. He veered and tried to turn away from them but at the rate of speed he was going it caused the car to spin. He spun out of control. By the time he got any kind of control over it, it was too late because he was headed straight into the college," said Rodney Payne. "Boom, he hits the college. The car crumpled and immediately caught on fire."
The driver of the car took off on foot after the crash, according to police.
"At around 3:10 this morning we suspect that the driver of this vehicle checked himself into JMH and he is being detained," said Rene Pimentel of the Miami Police Department.
A check of the car found it had been reported stolen on August 18th from an address in North Miami.
All daytime classes at the center were cancelled for Tuesday because of clean-up and an inspection of the building's entrance. Classes were set to resume, however, beginning at 5 p.m.
"It's tough cause I was ready to start classes and this is my first time here," said Harold Ramirez a new student to MDC.
Police said there is no evidence that the driver was drunk or high, but confirmed speed was a factor. Charges against the driver are pending.
