MIAMI – A South Florida family has been torn apart by tragedy, and police say a drunk driver is to blame.
The victim was getting something out of her trunk while stopped at a red light when another driver hit her from behind, pinning her between the two vehicles.
The woman has been undergoing numerous surgeries.
The wife of the victim told Local 10 she actually had to stop the drunk driver, who tried to run away after the crash.
“I feel like what happened to her shouldn’t have happened to her. She didn’t deserve it at all,” said Mayelin Alonso, speaking about her wife, Tatiana. “She’s getting better, she wants to fight. She’s fighting for her life.”
Tatiana is being treated at Kendall Regional Medical Center following the crash that happened on Nov. 21.
Alonso told Local 10 that she, her wife Tatiana and their 8-year-old son were stopped at a light on Southwest 8th street and 122nd Avenue.
Tatiana got out of the car to retrieve an item from the trunk, and that’s when a vehicle allegedly driven by 37-year-old Yasser Valdes slammed into their car from behind, pinning her between them.
That’s when Alonso said Valdes tried to run away.
“I try to stop the driver. I got into a little altercation with him,” Alonso said.
Alonso and the child were not hurt in the crash, but Tatiana suffered broken bones, a punctured lung and her right leg had to be amputated.
“He almost took her life,” Alonso said.
Valdes was arrested and is currently out of jail after posting a $13,000 bond. He’s at home while Tatiana fights to recover, her family said.
Tatiana’s boss told Local 10 the recent college graduate and paralegal had hopes of becoming an immigration attorney.
“We’re very thankful that she’s on the road to recovery, but at the same time as our hearts are broken,” said Saman Movassaghi Gonzalez, Tatiana’s boss.
The family was also days away from closing on their first home, dreams that have been now put on hold indefinitely.
“We had goals that basically just stopped … and over somebody that was so intoxicated,” Alonso said.
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story erroneously stated that Valdes was released after posting a $1,000 bond. Valdes’ bond was actually set at a total of $13,000 for the four charges he faces.