Five friends killed by wrong-way driver in Florida identified, include NYU-bound artist

Associates and kin of 5 shut buddies who have been killed in a horrific wrong-way automotive crash in Florida over the weekend — together with an NYU-bound artist — are mourning their loss and demanding justice.

Based on police, Maiky Simeon, 30, was rushing towards site visitors on the Palmetto Expressway round 4:30 a.m. Saturday when he smashed immediately right into a Honda sedan carrying the 5 victims.

The victims, aged 18-25, have been recognized as: Valeria Cáceres, Daniela Marcano, Valeria Peña, Giancarlo Arias and Briana Pacalagua, who was the driving force.

Arias, the Miami Herald reported, was heading to varsity at New York College and the group was celebrating his receipt of a scholarship.

“Gian, I by no means bought to let you know how proud I used to be of you… You have been such a proficient function mannequin and a fantastic soul,” a former instructor wrote on his Instagram web page, the paper reported. “In my 21 years of instructing, that is the primary time I’ve ever felt such a loss.”

Pacalagua’s youthful sister, Kiara Pacalagua, arrange a GoFundMe web page in her sibling’s honor that has raised greater than $11,000 as of Monday.

“There’s no straightforward strategy to categorical how I really feel,” she wrote. “My large sister simply handed and there are not any phrases to explain how our household can cope with this loss.”

Buddy Lesly Mejas wrote a tribute to the 5 victims on-line, in keeping with the Herald.

“As we speak 5 lives are now not a part of this earthly aircraft, 5 lives stuffed with goals, targets, and functions at present will now not be a part of us,” she wrote. “It hurts loads to know that such younger and proficient folks will be unable to realize what they’d at some point dreamed but it surely hurts me extra to know that household, mates, and all their family members should undergo immense ache.”

Simeon was extracted from his car after the crash and stays hospitalized.

Based on studies, Simeon misplaced his license in 2014 for driving 109 miles per hour in a 70 mph zone however finally bought his driving privileges again.

Cops are nonetheless investigating the circumstances of Saturday’s wreck.