BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. – Carlos Jeovany Gutierrez, 19, has surrendered to authorities nearly a year after he allegedly left the scene of a crash that killed a 9-year-old girl.
He appeared in court Wednesday as he faces 10 charges.
Authorities said the crash occurred in the early morning hours of April 17. The crash shut down Alligator Alley as crews treated the eight people who were injured in addition to the little girl who died after she was airlifted to Broward Health Medical Center.
Florida Highway Patrol troopers said Gutierrez was driving a 2013 Infiniti on a suspended license alongside his teenage girlfriend, who was driving a Nissan.
Troopers said both teens were speeding when they collided.
The impact of the crash pushed the Infiniti into a third vehicle -- an SUV -- out of its lane and caused the SUV to roll over several times.
The child and her five family members were inside the SUV.
Authorities said they were heading from Fort Lauderdale back to their home in Bradenton at the time of the crash.
Troopers said the two teen drivers who collided in their separate cars both fled the scene, but were later found by Broward Sheriff’s Office deputies and treated for their minor injuries.
“We’re now almost a year later, and based on the severity of this accident, including the death of a 9-year-old, the court has to take all that into consideration,” the judge said.
The judge ultimately set Gutierrez’s bond at $360,000. If he posts bail, he must surrender his passport, submit to random drug testing, will not be allowed to drive and will be outfitted with a GPS ankle monitor.