NORTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - A teenage boy has lost his life and his mother is fighting for her life after, troopers said, a driver suffered a seizure and crashed into them on the southbound lanes of Interstate 95 in Northwest Miami-Dade.
Florida Highway Patrol troopers reopened the southbound lanes of the highway after they were completely shut down for nearly five hours, Wednesday afternoon.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue crews responded to the scene just after Northwest 103rd Street, at around 12:30 p.m.
According to investigators, a black Nissan sedan with the mother and her 15-year-old son was stopped on the left shoulder of the southbound express lanes when the driver of a white Dodge Challenger started having seizures and crashed into them.
Troopers said the teen was sitting in the rear of the vehicle at the time of the crash.
Officials said the impact was so powerful that it sent the Challenger across six lanes of traffic into a nearby wall.
Spencer Blank, a good Samaritan, described the scene when he tried to save the trapped mother and son.
“We all did everything that we could, and everyone tried to help as much as possible,” Blank said. “The kid still had a light pulse, but then, about two or three minutes after, his pulse had gone away.”
Blank, who arrived before paramedics, pulled a tool from his truck to help get the two out of the vehicle.
“We actually helped rip the door off the car and prep both areas for them to remove the boy and the older woman as well,” Blank said.
The teen and woman in the Nissan were transported to Jackson Memorial Hospital as trauma alerts. The teen was pronounced dead at the hospital, and the mother remains in critical condition.
The woman driving the Challenger was also transported to Jackson Memorial Hospital. FHP troopers said she suffered injuries that were not life-threatening.
Family members arriving at the hospital could be seen hugging each other outside. They have asked for privacy at this time.
While investigators spent most of the afternoon cleaning up and clearing the scene, Blank said he is thankful that he got there when he did, but he wishes he could have done more.
“We wanted to help more and get him out of the back seat, but nobody wanted to touch him,” Blank said. “God forbid he has a broken neck, and we didn’t want to cause any further injury.”
Southbound traffic was rerouted to the 103rd Street exit. Troopers reopened the lanes to traffic just before 5:15 p.m.
7Skyforce HD captured tow trucks arriving on the scene to take the damaged cars away.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
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