NORTHEAST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - The sister of a man who was killed after his car was struck by a truck at a stoplight in Northeast Miami-Dade said she and her family are devastated about their loss, as police continue to investigate the violent wreck.
A makeshift memorial at the site of Saturday afternoon’s crash, in the California Club neighborhood, continued to grow on Sunday.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, 23-year-old Joshua Gonzalez was killed instantly near the intersection of Ives Dairy Road and Northeast 10th Avenue, just before 4 p.m.
“Josh is always in our hearts,” said his sister, Tiffany Gonzalez.
Gonzalez said she is still grappling with the sudden tragedy that took her beloved sibling.
“He’s just somebody that everybody loved,” she said.
Investigators said her brother was heading east on Ives Dairy Road in his blue Dodge Challenger at the same time the driver of a Ford F-150 was going west. The two collided when the pickup turned left onto Northeast 10th Avenue, sending Gonzalez spinning into two palm trees that split his vehicle in half.
Rescue crews took the driver of the truck to a nearby hospital with minor injuries
The deceased’s sister, who received the devastating news at her home in New Jersey, said she went into a state of shock.
“The first thing that I thought about were the minor details like, ‘Was it in an instant? Was he in agony? Was he in the right of way?'” Gonzalez said.
Heartbroken and in disbelief, she rushed home to South Florida to be with her grieving family.
Tiffany said she remembers her brother as the heart and soul of their family.
“His charisma, his way of getting along with people bringing people together,” she said.
As authorities continue investigating the crash, her family is beginning the painstaking process of trying to move on.
“He was the baby of our family, and he will truly, truly be missed,” said Gonzalez.
Investigators have not yet determined who was at fault in the crash.
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