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Family of Victim in I-95 Wrong Way Crash Faces Alleged Drunk Driver in Court

The family of a woman who lost her life in a deadly wrong way crash on I-95 faced the man accused of being behind the wheel in a Miami-Dade courtroom Thursday.

On one side was Franklin Chave, who witnesses say was driving a car without the lights on and was traveling the wrong way on an early Sunday morning last December.

The father of Carmen Criales says his daughter, who was heading to the airport to leave for college orientation, was killed instantly because of the impact. Her mother and brother were also inside the car. Her brother is wheelchair bound with severe brain injuries.

The defendant’s lawyer asked for more time, citing that more and more witnesses continue to come forward.

Almost 11 months since the deadly crash, her father says the pain remains as he continues to fight for justice in his daughter's name.

“I think it's obvious that this individual was drunk,” Noel Criales said. “I plead justice to the court, to the judge to the investigators and witness.”

The case was reset for March 17th. A GoFundMe account has been set up to help the Criales family – including medical bills for Bryan.

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