The Eyrie

MIAMI, FL — The driver charged in a deadly wrong-way crash on the Palmetto Expressway in Miami-Dade pleaded guilty Friday, nearly four years after the collision killed five people traveling home from a party.

Maiky Simeon, 30, was facing five counts of vehicular homicide. He agreed to a 25-year state prison sentence with no credit for time already served, bringing the criminal case over the August 2022 crash to a close.

The wreck happened around 4:30 a.m. on Aug. 20, 2022, when a silver Infiniti sedan driven by Simeon was moving eastbound in the westbound lanes near Northwest 57th Avenue. It struck a gray Honda sedan head-on, killing everyone inside the Honda at the scene.

How the crash unfolded before dawn on the Palmetto

Investigators said Simeon had been driving the wrong way for at least a mile before the impact. According to an arrest report, he was the only person in the Infiniti when the two cars collided on the busy South Florida highway.

The report said there were no pre-collision skid marks from either vehicle and no roadway evidence showing an evasive move before impact. Investigators said Simeon drove at a high rate of speed and in willful or wanton disregard for the safety of others.

The Honda carried five victims who died at the scene: Briana Pacalagua, Daniela Marcano, Giancarlos Arias, Valeria Pena and Valeria Caceres. They had been driving home after Arias’ going-away party that night.

Families face the driver in court and describe lasting grief

During the court hearing Friday, family members of the victims addressed Simeon directly. Pacalagua’s father told him, “You took everything from us,” and said the families must live with the loss every day while he gets to go home.

Pacalagua’s mother said her daughter’s love and her faith have helped her keep going. She told the court that she was standing up for her child and would continue to do so in her memory.

Arias’ mother also spoke, saying she hoped Simeon would one day understand the depth of the pain caused to the five families. The courtroom statements reflected anger, sorrow and a desire for the driver to fully grasp the impact of the crash.

Simeon asks forgiveness after admitting responsibility

After entering the guilty plea, Simeon asked the families for forgiveness. He said he understood their pain and hoped the plea would bring some relief, even if he knew that would be difficult.

He also told the families, “Do not think I am being heartless about the situation,” and insisted, “No, I am not a reckless guy.”

The families said the sentence gives them some measure of closure, even as they questioned whether his remorse was genuine. For them, the plea marked the end of the criminal case, but not the end of the grief left behind by the crash.

A case closed after three years but the loss remains

The plea means the criminal proceedings tied to the 2022 crash are now finished. Simeon’s agreement to the 25-year sentence avoids a trial and resolves the five vehicular homicide charges filed in connection with the fatal collision.

For the victims’ relatives, the outcome does not erase what happened. Their statements in court made clear that the five deaths continue to shape their lives, even as the legal process reaches its conclusion.

That pain is part of why the families said they wanted the crash remembered, especially as drivers head into Halloween weekend. Their message was simple: do not drink and drive, and take responsibility before getting behind the wheel.

Families use the case to warn drivers during Halloween weekend

The relatives of the victims said they hoped the case would serve as a warning to other motorists. With Halloween weekend approaching, they urged drivers to avoid drinking and driving and to make safer choices before heading out on the road.

Their message came after a case built around a wrong-way crash that happened in the early morning darkness and ended in devastating loss. For the families, the plea closed one chapter, but the lesson they want others to hear is still very much alive.