A man who was behind the wheel of a pickup when it blew a tire and overturned on Alligator Alley last year, killing a 1-year-old boy who was ejected from the truck and injuring three other children, was behind bars in Broward County Wednesday facing serious charges in connection with the crash.
Marc Dorizar, 34, was booked into the Broward County jail Tuesday and faces several charges including aggravated manslaughter, aggravated child abuse and child neglect, records showed.
The mother of the children, 31-year-old Charlene Coriolan, also faces several charges in the crash, including aggravated child abuse and child neglect.
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The couple, who are both from the Tampa area, were arrested in Hillsborough County last month on a warrant from Broward related to the Sept. 3, 2020 crash near mile marker 27 on Alligator Alley.
Florida Highway Patrol officials said seven people were in a Nissan Frontier being driven by Dorizar when a tire blew out.
Dorizar lost control of the truck and it flipped several times, ejecting 1-year-old Marvens Dorizar, the warrant said. The boy fell into a nearby canal and his body was found after an hours-long search.
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Three other children - ages 4, 7 and 10 - were also injured in the crash.
FHP investigators found that the children weren't in seatbelts or restraints, and Marvens Dorizar had been sitting on Coriolan's lap in the front seat.
The warrant said the parents also knew of the unsafe condition of the truck's tires.
During a hearing in a Broward courtroom Wednesday, the couple's attorney asked a judge to be lenient when it came to setting bond due to the suffering after the child's death.
The judge set Dorizar's bond at $200,000, while Coriolan's bond was set at $100,000.
According to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, children from infants up to age three must be in a child restraint device of a separate carrier or integrated child seat. Kids aged four to five need to be in a child or booster seat. All kids should sit in the backseat until at least age 12.
Safe Kids in South Florida urges parents to go beyond that and consider your child’s height and weight when choosing a seat.
"We have a lot families that have never used a car seat, they have no idea on how to use it or install it, which is where we come in and that’s our job,” said Oriana De Leon with Safe Kids, Palm Beach County.
Safe Kids is in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties, and can come inspect the installation of your car seat. The organization is doing virtual inspections during the pandemic.
