MIAMI – Laura Salmeron Membreno is remembering her younger sister, Michelle Salmeron Membreno, after she died Saturday following a crash with a Miami police officer. She says Michelle loved helping others out. Her death has left her heartbroken.
“I was nine years older than her, she considered me her mother,” she said in Spanish.
Laura says Michelle was her only sibling and said that Michelle looked up to her. The pair lived together after Michelle arrived from Nicaragua two years ago. She had dreams of becoming an accountant.
The family is devastated and is searching for answers. They have hired lawyer Carlos Silva.
“It’s a very awful tragedy, as you all know,” Silva said.
The crash happened after 7 p.m. Saturday. Michelle had just left the gym near Northwest Seventh Street and 47th Avenue. She walked across the street and was waiting for a bus when a Miami police officer and the driver of a Toyota crashed at the intersection.
“The officer was traveling eastbound on Northwest 47th Avenue, and the other vehicle was traveling westbound attempting to make a left turn to go south on Northwest 47th Avenue and Seventh Street. Once again the investigation remains ongoing,” Miami police Officer Kiara Delva said.
The impact of the crash led to Michelle and another female pedestrian getting hit. The second pedestrian survived while, according to the medical examiner’s office, Michelle died nearly thirty minutes afterward.
Silva says he’s spoken to that second victim and identified her as Juana Gutierrez.
“She had some injuries to her legs from some debris that flew from the bench onto her. She was taken to Jackson (Memorial Hospital), she was released four to five hours later,” Silva said.
Silva also claims through his investigation he knows which car hit Michelle.
“Our investigation has revealed the police officer’s vehicle is the last impact with the victim,” Silva said.
Police say they are still investigating that part; they have not confirmed who was at fault.
Michelle’s parents are in Nicaragua. Silva said he’s trying to get them to come to South Florida on a humanitarian visa to attend their daughter’s funeral.