MIAMI (WSVN) - A fight broke out at the Miami-Dade County courthouse between the widow of a man who died after getting struck in a fatal crash in Sunny Isles Beach and the driver’s family, Wednesday.
Zulma Guillot Pelleg exchanged words and slapped the family member of Joseph Jacob Franco outside of the courtroom after he took a plea deal for driving and drug offenses in the death of her husband, Amir Pelleg.
“The pain that I have, I cannot describe it,” Pelleg said. “For life, they understand that they destroyed a good, happy family.”
On July 1, 2018, Franco was driving his minivan in Sunny Isles Beach when he lost control and hit Amir and his family, including two daughters, who were walking on the sidewalk near a bus stop.
The family was rushed to the hospital, where Amir later succumbed to his injuries.
“You’re pleading guilty to reckless driving causing serious bodily injury,” a judge said in court. “Each of those is a third-degree felony.”
Franco said the crash occurred because he had to swerve to avoid hitting a bicyclist.
According to Franco’s attorney, the toxicology reports showed there were no drugs in his system at the time of the crash.
“While Joseph hopes that the Pelleg family receives some measure of closure by the completion of the criminal case, he understands that nothing he can say or do will ever make up for the pain caused by the loss of their loved one,” attorney Robert Reiff said.
Pelleg voiced her thoughts on Franco’s apology.
“When you’re guided by the politically correct to say the right thing, that doesn’t mean you mean it,” Pelleg said.
Pelleg also added she now plans to focus on her children.
“I just can put all my energy towards ensuring that my kids are emotionally and physically well moving forward,” she said.
As part of the plea deal, Franco will spend three years behind bars and another five years under probation.
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