A Miami woman who authorities said was driving more than 100 mph seconds before she slammed into another vehicle, killing a 7-year-old boy and leaving his little sister and mother severely injured, is facing a vehicular homicide charge.
Melissa Amber Vasquez, 24, was arrested Wednesday on one count of vehicular homicide in a reckless manner and two counts of reckless driving causing serious bodily injury, according to an arrest report.
According to the report, Vasquez was behind the wheel of a Ford F-150 the night of July 11, 2019, when she crashed into a Toyota Camry driven by Efren Miranda.
Vasquez, who had a 25-year-old woman and 14-year-old girl with her in the truck, was on Bird Road driving at a high rate of speed near the intersection of Southwest 92nd Avenue, the report said.
Miranda was driving in the opposite direction on Bird Road and making a left onto Southwest 92nd Avenue with her two kids, 7-year-old son Christian Tomas and 3-year-old daughter Dasia Tomas, riding in car seats.
The report said Miranda had started to make the turn when the F-150 slammed into her car.
"The force of the impact was so great that the entire rear and passenger's side of Ms. Miranda's vehicle were torn apart," the report said.
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Both children were ejected from the car, and Christian Tomas was killed at the scene.
Dasia Tomas was severely injured and left in a coma, and had to be on ventilator for four days, the report said. Miranda was also badly injured and hospitalized.
The woman who was in Vasquez's truck had fractured vertebrae and broken bones in her face, and needed facial reconstructive surgery. The teen in the truck was also injured in the crash.
Vasquez's truck had an event data recorder that showed the truck's speed five seconds before impact was at 95.3 mph, was 101.2 mph one second before impact and 82.7 mph at impact, the report said. The recorder showed Vasquez didn't hit the brakes until a second before impact.
The speed limit on Bird Road where the crash happened is 40 mph.
"The defendant's decision to drive a large pickup truck at such a high rate of speed, more than twice the speed limit, and to accelerate even faster as she approached the intersection of Southwest 92nd Avenue, showed a willful and wanton disregard for the safety of her passengers as well as to vehicles and the people in them in that area," the report said.
Vasquez was being held on $30,000 bond Thursday, Miami-Dade jail records showed.
At a bond court hearing Thursday, Vasquez's defense attorney told a judge that Vasquez has no prior arrests, lives at home with her parents, and is six months pregnant.
