WEAR YOUR SEATBELTS!!!

[Steff]

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiheral...al/10717642.htm

 

Mom, son die in crash

 

Police are searching for the driver who may have caused an accident on the Dolphin Expressway that killed a young mother and her 4-year-old son.

 

BY MONICA HATCHER

[email protected]

 

 

Gisela Avellan and her husband Miguel Rodriguez loved to take their kids to the movies on weekends.

 

But Saturday their routine ended in tragedy.

 

On the way home from International Mall at 10 p.m., the Dodge minivan they were taking eastbound on State Road 836 was struck by a speeding car near the Northwest 72nd Avenue exit.

 

Their minivan went out of control, crashed through a guardrail and flipped onto an embankment.

 

Avellan, 30, and her 4-year-old son were ejected from the vehicle. Both of them died.

 

No one in the car was wearing seat belts, said Julio Pajon, a spokesman with the Florida Highway Patrol.

 

Miguel Rodriguez, 37, who was driving the minivan, was airlifted to Jackson Memorial Hospital where he was treated and released Sunday.

 

The couple's second son, Miguel Rodriguez, 11, and a neighbor, Francisco Tellez, 12, were taken to Miami Children's Hospital.

 

Miguel is in critical condition with severe injuries to one of his legs, Avellan's sister, Juana Avellan, said.

 

Francisco's injuries were minor, and he was released Sunday as well, she said.

 

Now authorities are looking for the driver of the 1997 Nissan Maxima that hit the minivan.

 

After striking the left rear side of the van, the Maxima spun out of control and smashed into a concrete barrier wall.

 

The driver abandoned the car and fled on foot.

 

Police want to question Hector Bermudez, a Miami resident, who they believe may have been driving the car.

 

While authorities searched Sunday for the man who may have caused her sister's death, Juana Avellan remembered Gisela as a wonderful mother who worked cleaning houses while taking care of her youngest son.

 

Juana Avellan said Miguel was recuperating from the accident, but he was grieving the loss of his wife and son.

 

''We're here to help him, and especially me,'' Juana Avellan said. ``I'm her sister; my nephews will be like my own sons.''

Mom, son die in crash

 

Police are searching for the driver who may have caused an accident on the Dolphin Expressway that killed a young mother and her 4-year-old son.

 

(clip)No one in the car was wearing seat belts, said Julio Pajon, a spokesman with the Florida Highway Patrol.

 

 

[EvilMonkey]

While I dislike the law REQUIRING us to wear seatbelts, I got used to wearing mine early on when I owned a Jeep CJ-5. I took the doors off in spring, and kept them off until it snowed. Driving with no doors, better wear seat belts.

[WilliamTell]

one of my old classmates was killed in a car crash on Wednesday, he was only 17, it's still hard to believe. RIP.

[southsider2k5]

While I dislike the law REQUIRING us to wear seatbelts, I got used to wearing mine early on when I owned a Jeep CJ-5.  I took the doors off in spring, and kept them off until it snowed.  Driving with no doors, better wear seat belts.

 

And I dislike my insurance rates exploding for people who don't want to wear their seat belts. Call it even.

[YASNY]

What's the big deal about being REQUIRED to operate a motor vehicle on public streets in a safe manner?

[mreye]

I don't understand why people have a problem wearing their seatbelts. It's not uncomfortable. And even if it is...so f***ing what! Fine, don't wear yours, but for the love of God, put one on your 4 year old! Asshole, now your whole family's dead!

[Rex Kickass]

It's like helmet laws. They oughta be required because they are integral to the safe operation of your motorcycle. There really isn't much of a debate on this in my mind.