NORTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - An exchange student who came to South Florida from Germany was killed when his car was hit head-on by a vehicle driving against traffic along Interstate 95 in Northwest Miami-Dade.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue and Florida Highway Patrol units were dispatched, just before 8 p.m., to the scene of the wreck along the express lanes near Northwest 103rd Street, Thursday, just before 8 p.m.
According to investigators, the victim, identified by his girlfriend as college student Mathias Akwa, was driving south along the express lanes when he was struck by an SUV heading north in a southbound lane, Thursday night.
Akwa was pronounced dead at the scene.
“This is a tragic scene,” said FHP Lt. Alex Camacho. “Somebody lost their life, and they were just commuting the right way when they were struck by somebody that was going the wrong way.”
Troopers said the man behind the wheel of the SUV, identified as William Ferguson, was speeding northbound on the southbound lanes, when he struck up to five other cars.
“Several of our troopers that were patrolling the area observed the vehicle driving at a high rate of speed, in a reckless manner,” said Camacho.
Paramedics took Ferguson to Jackson Memorial Hospital in stable condition.
The crash prompted all southbound lanes to be shut down for several hours.
Andreina Calleja, Akwa’s girlfriend, said she received the devastating phone call Friday morning.
“He took the life of someone who was driving and so excited about living and, like, living new experiences,” she said. “He just had one year left of college.”
Investigators said Ferguson got into a heated and violent argument with his girlfriend. During the altercation, officials said, he stabbed her in the neck.
After paramedics transported the victim to JMH, investigators said, Ferguson took off and ended up driving against traffic along I-95.
Calleja said Akwa was on his way to return a rental car he got for the Fourth of July when the crash happened.
“He had just like, 15 minutes left to get to the car rental place,” she said. “He called me to come pick him up, and after that, I got to the car rental place at like 8 [p.m.], and I didn’t know anything else.”
Police later arrested Ferguson, who also faces charges for the stabbing attack on Thursday.
As police and state troopers work to piece together the tragic chain of events, Calleja is left wanting answers and remembering the man who, she said, had a bright future.
“He was excited about everything. That’s what I liked about him. That’s what kept me excited around him,” she said. “He was happy about anything and everything that would come up. Even the heat, the Florida heat excited him. He was happy about it. Nobody’s happy about that, and it’s lost now. It’s gone.”
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help Akwa’s family with expenses. If you’d like to make a donation, click here.
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