MIRAMAR, FLA. (WSVN) - A drunk driver traveling at a high rate of speed on Miramar Parkway crashed through a fence and two vehicles that were parked in front of a home, police said.
A witness said the suspect told police he wasn’t behind the wheel. Then he failed a sobriety test.
According to Miramar Police, a Toyota Camry was traveling westbound on Miramar Parkway at approximately 4:30 a.m., when it crashed into a fence and kept going, smashing into a tree before coming to a halt after colliding with two cars.
The driver was identified as 28-year-old Luis Nunez Perez.
Investigators said the crash happened near 6507 Miramar Parkway and it involved a male driver and a female passenger.
The homeowner, George Ellis, said he had taken his dogs out and was going back to sleep when he heard a loud crash.
“I could hear it taking out the fence, and it just got louder and louder ,” he said.
A nearby security camera recorded the sound.
Police said Nunez Perez smashed two cars before he came to a stop.
“The windshield was just caved in, I guess from all the fence debris,” Ellis said. “When it hit that tree, it just destroyed the driver’s front corner.”
Ellis said he ran out and heard a woman screaming for help.
“I knew she was extremely frightened, that she was screaming and screaming,” he recalled. “She said she couldn’t breathe. She wanted out — get her out.”
Ellis also saw Perez jump into the back seat before police arrived at the scene. When police arrived, he heard them say he was a passenger and that the driver had left the scene.
After failing the sobriety test, Perez was charged with DUI.
Traffic was temporarily diverted as debris from the accident was seen scattered across the street, underscoring the intensity of the impact.
Neighbors said speeding along Miramar Parkway has been a problem for years.
“It’s just getting worse and worse. Every year, there’s more and more accidents,” said Ellis
“It’s too much speeding going down Miramar Parkway. Speeding’s been going on for probably over a few years,” said another resident. “They put speed bumps out here that don’t slow them down, so I don’t know what else could be done.”
Neighbors said there was a woman walking on the sidewalk moments before the crash. She was already down the street when it happened.
Ellis said this is not the first time this has happened to his home.
Officials said the driver and the passenger suffered minor injuries but refused to be transported to a hospital.
The roadway has since reopened.
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