Driver in 2022 wrong-way Palmetto Expressway crash that killed 5 pleads guilty

A driver charged in a 2022 wrong-way crash on the Palmetto Expressway in Miami-Dade that killed five people pleaded guilty on Friday.

Maiky Simeon, 30, faced five counts of vehicular homicide.

Simeon accepted a 25-year state prison sentence with no credit for the time served.

The crash happened around 4:30 a.m. on Aug. 20, 2022 when a silver Infiniti sedan driven by Simeon was traveling eastbound in the westbound lanes in the area of Northwest 57th Avenue when it slammed head-on into a gray Honda sedan.

Five people who were in the Honda were killed at the scene: Briana Pacalagua, Daniela Marcano, Giancarlos Arias, Valeria Pena, and Valeria Caceres. They were driving back from Arias’ going-away party that night.

According to an arrest report, Simeon, the only person in the Infiniti, had been driving in the wrong direction for at least one mile before the crash.

“There were no pre-collision skid marks for vehicle 1 or evidence on the roadway indicating that the defendant took any evasive actions to avoid the crash,” the report said. “The defendant drove in willful or wanton disregard for the safety of persons by driving the wrong way at a high rate of speed and never attempted to take any evasive actions to avoid the crash.”