Man Critical After SUV Slammed Into Him On Miami Sidewalk
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Police have identified the man killed when an SUV slammed into a building in Miami Tuesday morning.
Dario Hernandez, 62, died when a white SUV traveling northbound on NW 7th Avenue near 27th Street plowed into him as he sipped coffee outside a cafeteria, police said.
"I can't believe what has happened," Ada Torres said.
Torres is Hernandez's neighbor and friend. Through tears, she told CBS 4's Lauren Pastana in Spanish she is worried about Hernandez's widow, Carmen.
"I know how much she loved him," she said. "Everything was 'Dario, Dario, Dario'."
Torres described Dario Hernandez as a kind, quiet man who loved his wife.
"They were inseparable," Marialena Perez said.
Perez said when Carmen Hernandez found out about her husband's death, she had a panic attack and had to be rushed to the hospital herself.
The driver, 61-year-old Henry Maffett was also hurt in the crash. He was transported to JacksonMemorialHospital's RyderTraumaCenter in serious condition, according to police.
Another pedestrian, Carlos Characa, 58, ended up in the hospital, too. He was in critical condition Wednesday, police said.
"We can't get any news," Characa's landlord, Leon Wegman, said. "We call over there and they tell us he's in Ryder Trauma. That's all they'll tell you."
Wegman is concerned about his friend and tenant. He said Characa's family is from Colombia and don't live here with him.
Investigators are looking into whether a medical issue was a factor in the crash or if charges will be filed.
In the meantime, friends of the surviving victim are rooting for him to pull through.
"I wish him well," Wegman said. "I hope everything comes out for the best for him."
