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Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez, center, said there has been an overwhelming increase in street racing-related fatalities not only in the county, but across the state of Florida.
A recent vigil held for two victims killed in a street racing crash last month sent a message to drivers who engage in the illegal activity: It needs to stop.
Law enforcement officials from Osceola County, as well as the Florida Highway Patrol and the Orlando Police Department, formed a line on April 23 to leave teddy bears and other toys at a roadside memorial in the Four Corners area where the three-vehicle crash occurred.
It killed 11-year-old Greyshalis Flores and 23-year-old Stefani Diaz who were passengers in a 2018 Toyota Rav-4.
Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez said there has been an overwhelming increase in street racing-related fatalities not only in the county, but across the state of Florida.
“Families are losing loved ones to this reckless and senseless behavior on public roadways,” Lopez said. “It needs to stop.”
The deadly April 2 crash occurred on U.S. Highway 192, near Secret Lake Drive at the Osceola-Orange County border.
According to a Florida Highway Patrol report, a 2013 Dodge Charger, the Toyota Rav 4 and a 2015 Kia Optima were all traveling westbound on U.S 192 at about 11 p.m.
The Charger, driven by a 19-year-old male from Davenport, was behind the Toyota, which was being driven by a 35-yearold woman from Leesburg. The Kia, being driven by a 17-year-old male from Loughman, was in the center lane.
The report stated that the driver of the Charger failed to slow down behind the Toyota and hit the back of it, sending the Rav 4 into the median and into a median warning sign. Flores, who was sitting in the back seat of the Toyota, was pronounced dead at the scene. Diaz was pronounced dead on April 14 at the Osceola Regional Medical Center. The Toyota driver was listed in serious condition.
Witnesses said the Charger and the Optima were street racing when the crash occurred. The driver of the Charger suffered minor injuries, while the Kia driver suffered none.
Charges are pending against the street racers.
Laurie Broadus knows all about such loss. Her 18-year-old son, Shawn, was killed in an Orlando street-racing crash in 2006. In 2010, she started Mothers Against Racing on the Streets or MARS.
She called for tougher laws against street racing at the vigil.
“The need for speed is a spontaneous act 9 times out of 10,” she said. “People in general think they are invincible. We know that’s not true.”
She has visited Central Florida schools to warn teenagers about the dangers of illegal street racing. At the vigil, she showed a quilt she carries with the names of streetracing victims.
“It’s just not a club you want to be in,” she said.
Osceola County Commissioner Peggy Choudhry represents district 1, where the crash happened.
“I could never even imagine what it feels like to lose your children. No parent should ever go through this,” she said. “We don’t want anyone else to lose loved ones to this act. There’s no reason for it. This has to stop.”
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death for people between the ages of 16 and 20.
Nationwide statistics show that 49 people are injured for every 1,000 who participate in illegal street racing.
Lopez said anyone caught street racing would be arrested.
“We’re not going to put up with this. You are not going to take over the streets. These are our streets,” he said. “You want to race, join NASCAR, go to Daytona 500. One death to street racing is too many.”
