PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Burnt out and twisted wreckage is all that remains of vehicles involved in a wrong-way crash in the early hours Monday, in the southbound lanes of Interstate 95 and Indrio Road in St. Lucie County.
For Nelson Miranda, it is all difficult to process. He said he spotted the car going the wrong way.
"In that moment, I was just shook, in shock," Miranda said. "You know, I was just like what's going on? So, then finally, when I got my senses together, I called FHP right away and then the 911 operator was as anxious as I was."
Hours late, Miranda maintained he narrowly avoided tragedy just before sunrise.
"It could've been me. If that truck didn't move out of the way, I would've hit that car," he recalled.
The Florida Highway Patrol said an 81-year-old Delray Beach man driving a Sentra northbound in the southbound lanes of I-95 crashed near the Indrio Road exit.
The Sentra collided with the driver and a passenger in a Honda Civic.
Drivers of both cars were killed.
Initial crash information from the FHP also indicates a semi-truck crashed into the Civic following the initial collision.
The truck driver is said to have "non-incapacitating injuries" and the passenger in the Honda had injuries described by the FHP as "capacitating."
Nelson is left with prayers and condolences.
"It makes me feel sad, man," Miranda said. "It also makes me feel grateful that my parents, my loved ones, aren't getting that call. It's unfortunate, but, I mean, I'm thankful it's not me. I feel bad for the families that are impacted by this, for sure."
The FHP is waiting for the victims' next of kin to be notified before their identities are released.