Man Killed While Fixing Car On Palmetto Identified
HIALEAH (CBS4) - Police have identified the man who was run over and killed Friday while trying to fix the convertible he was driving as it sat on the shoulder of the Palmetto Expressway.
Police said 40-year-old Jose Diaz from Hialeah, who was a mechanic, was traveling in the northbound lanes with two other people when the car they were in made a knocking noise.
Diaz volunteered to look at the problem, but while he bent over the hood a van came from behind and slammed into the car, causing it to run him over and push him 35 feet up the road under its chassis, according to Hialeah Fire Department's Lt. Cesar Espinosa.
Police said the driver who hit the man's car is Luis Antonio Roque, 32, from Miami.
Diaz died at the scene, with both passengers witnessing the accident as it unfolded.
Espinosa said the two other passengers, 51-year-old Hector Pedro Gavilla Rojas and 33-year-old Mairel Yunior Suarez, are from Naples. They are related to the victim. They were transported to Palmetto General Hospital.
Florida Highway Patrol is investigating the crash and will determine if Roque will be charged.
