SOUTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - A father recovering in the hospital after being involved in a hit-and-run crash with his family in his car is speaking exclusively to 7News.
Thirty-four-year-old Christopher Tunez was driving his wife and three kids to church Sunday when a red Maserati, driving erratically, slammed into their SUV on the southbound lanes of the Palmetto Expressway, near Bird Road.
Christopher explained what he remembers right before crashing into the wall.
“When the car hit me, I fishtailed and jumped across the six lanes right before the Bird Road exit,” he said. “You know, I hit that wall at 55 miles per hour, head-on, straight collision, so I’m counting my blessings.”
“My first instinct was to just get out of the car, ask my wife if she was OK,” Christopher said. “I got out of the car thinking, ‘Oh, I’m gonna take my son out,’ so I reach for the passenger door in the back, and my feet hit the floor and I collapse.”
Now, Christopher and his wife Meredith are recovering at Kendall Regional Medical Center. Their 7-month-old son is also hospitalized.
“I really believe God has been looking out for us,” said Christopher.
Meredith has been in the intensive care unit. Her legs were crushed in the crash.
“You hear the person you love most in the world, they just keep telling you how many things are broken in her body,” Christopher said. “It’s tough to deal with. She was starting her last semester of school, she was gonna finish. We were looking forward to my son’s first day of kindergarten.”
Christopher is a teacher for Miami-Dade County Public Schools and was looking forward to the first day of school prior to the life-changing crash.
“It was the Sunday before school started, and I’d been preparing pretty hard,” he said.
He’s now recovering from broken bones all over his body.
“I know we’re gonna be OK. It’s just a matter of understanding how tough it is for her and what she has to deal with,” he said.
Christopher had his 5-year-old, a 3-year-old and a 7-month-old in their Honda CR-V when they crashed. He’s thankful that everybody survived.
“I think God is really giving me grace to not be angry,” he said, “cause I’ve been much angrier and other people for much less things, but we have to get justice, and just for practical reasons, we have to figure out who it is.”
A GoFundMe page was set up to help with the family’s medical expenses. If you would like to donate, click here.
If you have any information on this hit and run, call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a $1,000 reward.
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