Miami, FL : Woman killed, 3 injured in wrong-way crash on Interstate 95, Southwest Eight Street early Sunday, December 13, 2015

Authorities said a horrific accident could have been avoided, after a man driving against traffic slammed into another car in the northbound lanes of Interstate 95, early Sunday, killing the driver and sending him and two others to the hospital.

Crews responded to the scene, in the area of Southwest Eight Street, at around 5:30 a.m. "When we get to the scene, we have two vehicles that collided head on," said Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Joe Sanchez. "One was traveling southbound in the northbound lanes on I-95, against traffic. They collided head on. The impact was very severe."

Twenty-three-year-old Carmen Rosa Criales was pronounced dead at the scene. Her body was still inside her car as it was towed to the medical examiner's office.

Criales' two passengers and the alleged wrong-way driver, later identified as 24-year-old Franklin Chavez, were rushed to Ryder Trauma Center in critical condition. 7News cameras captured two of Chavez's family members waiting outside the hospital.

Troopers shut down the northbound lanes of I-95 for several hours as they investigated the accident.

Miami Fire Rescue Capt. Ignatius Carroll said that wrong-way crashes like this are happening far too often. "It's kind of hard to figure out why, still, they can't get it right, that you're going the wrong way, and as a result, you have innocent lives that are lost," he said. "This is another situation here where this is something that could have been prevented if that person was aware of their surroundings."

Sanchez urged motorists to pay more attention to road signs and reflectors. "When you're traveling on the road, all you have to do is look at the reflectors, and if the reflectors are shining red, that means you are going against traffic," he said.

The case remains under investigation. In the coming days, police will determine whether Chavez was impaired and if he will face any charges.

Source :

Woman killed, 3 injured in wrong-way crash on I-95