traffic alert

Driver Facing Drug Charges After Deadly Head-on Crash Shuts Down 79th Street Causeway

Woman killed, two others hospitalized after crash shuts down roadway for hours

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A driver involved in a head-on crash on the 79th Street Causeway that left a woman dead and the roadway shut down for hours is facing drug charges, police said.

Dionicio Enrique Castro, 30, is facing several drug possession charges in the Wednesday afternoon crash, Miami Police officials said Thursday.

The crash happened in the eastbound lanes of the Causeway near North Bay Village and shut down both directions of the roadway.

According to an arrest report, Castro was behind the wheel of a black Mazda SUV going eastbound on the Causeway at a high rate of speed as he approached the crest of the bridge.

The SUV then veered across the eastbound lanes and hit the median, sending the SUV airborne for about 23 feet, the report said.

The SUV entered the westbound lanes and slammed head-on into a grey Nissan sedan.

Fire rescue responded and took Castro to Jackson Memorial Hospital's Ryder Trauma Center.

The three people who were in the Nissan were also taken to the hospital. A woman who was the front passenger in the car later died from her injuries.

The other two victims who were in the Nissan remained in critical condition as of Wednesday night.

The identities of the people who were in the Nissan weren't released.

Castro, who suffered a hip fracture and hip dislocation, was arrested after marijuana, cocaine and another narcotics were found on both Castro and in his car at the crash scene, police said.

The crash investigation is still ongoing but the report said the cause was Castro "operating his vehicle in a careless and reckless manner."

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