A 19-year-old woman was killed Sunday in a violent early morning car crash in Deerfield Beach, the Broward Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday.
The collision between a BMW 530i sedan and a Tesla Model 3 happened about 4 a.m. in the westbound lanes of West Hillsboro Boulevard, between North Powerline Road and Country Club Boulevard, authorities said.
Tesla passenger Thais Haug, 19, of Deerfield Beach, died from injuries she received in the crash, the sheriff’s office said.
Raphael Candido Vilela, 20, of West Boca, was driving the BMW west along Hillsboro Boulevard as Sebastian Espinoza, 18, of Deerfield Beach, was steering the Tesla east toward Country Club Boulevard.
Espinoza was in the designated turn lane waiting to travel north onto Country Club Boulevard. When the Tesla entered the intersection, the BMW struck its passenger side. The impact caused the Tesla’s passenger side, rear seats and part of the trunk to be ripped off the sedan, according to the sheriff’s office.
The front wheels of the BMW came off and the engine compartment dragged along the boulevard. The BMW caught fire as it continued moving west about 700 feet, the sheriff’s office said.
Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue paramedics took Haug to Broward Health North in Deerfield Beach, where she died, according to the Broward County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Paramedics took other patients to the same hospital, Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Michael Kane said.
Vilela and his three passengers — Alice Silva, 17, of Coconut Creek; Giovannia Silva, 16 and Joao Coneglian, 17, both of Boca Raton — had serious injuries and were in intensive care.
Espinoza’s injuries were minor, and he was treated and released from medical care.
Firefighters put out the fire in the engine compartment of the BMW, Kane said.
Investigators have found that excessive speed and driver impairment were the primary factors in the crash, the sheriff’s office said.
Vilela is facing numerous charges, including vehicular homicide; DUI causing death, serious bodily injury and property damage; an expired driver’s license and reckless driving, according to a court docket.
The sheriff’s office asks anyone with information to call Traffic Homicide Detective Anthony Morales at 954-321-4840 or Broward County Crime Stoppers, at 954-493-8477. The organization accepts anonymous tips and pays up to $3,000 for information that leads to an arrest.
ljtrischitta@sunsentinel.com, 954-356-4233 or Twitter @LindaTrischitta
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