Teens On Teen Driving

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 (Yuri along with his brother Yirian that was also killed)

About Them:

How It happened:

***Taken from the Miami Herald website***

Link to the story (http://www1.wsvn.com/news/articles/local/C55543/)

Drag race leaves three dead, police say
BY KARL ROSS AND CASEY WOODS

A family mourned the deaths of their two sons, casualties of an after-school race along a tree-studded boulevard in Miami Beach. A young woman also was killed.

Two teenage brothers, ages 19 and 14, died Friday from injuries they received after the elder boy lost control of a red Camaro while allegedly drag racing along Pine Tree Drive, Miami Beach police said. A female passenger believed to be the driver's girlfriend died late Friday at Ryder Trauma Center.A fourth passenger, also 14, suffered serious injuries but they were not life-threatening, according to police and family members.The Chevrolet muscle car struck a tree in the 4400 block of the winding boulevard in what police believe was a drag race. A motorcycle officer saw the Camaro speeding alongside a white Mitsubishi Eclipse.''It's not worth it,'' said police spokesman Bobby Hernandez. ``These streets aren't made for that kind of speed. This isn't a NASCAR track. These trees are solid and they show no mercy on any vehicle.''

SPEED BLAMED
Police said speed was ''definitely a factor'' as the car's mangled aluminum frame wrapped around a pine tree.The 14-year-olds were freshmen at Miami Beach Senior High, where last month a female classmate was found dead in her mobile home.Relatives agonized while waiting at the Ryder Trauma Center. Hospital staff were unable to immediately identify the victims or their conditions, though family members knew at least one had died.When a police officer identified the first fatality as the driver, Yirián Alonso, 19, family members convulsed in grief.''Ay, Santos!'' cried the boy's father, who identified himself to police as Joaquín Alonso. He later wandered outside the trauma center in a state of shock.About an hour later, the awful scene repeated itself when relatives learned his younger brother -- Yurián, 14 -- died during surgery.Aileen Lombera said her brother, Joel Lombera suffered a fractured skull but had remained conscious. She said he was expected to recover.

VICTIMS ACQUAINTED
Lombera said her brother and Yurián were friends. She said the older boy went to college in Orlando and returned to Miami for the weekend with his girlfriend.Lombera said schoolmates reported seeing Yirián and his red Camaro in a parking lot with its hood propped open, comparing motors with the white Eclipse.''I had that same car -- a red Camaro,'' she said. ``It can go fast. I guess they were trying to impress their friends.''The female victim, believed to be in her early 20s, sat in the passenger seat, police said.''She took the brunt of the impact. The right tire was in her lap,'' said Miami Beach fire-rescue Lt. Charles Brown, who helped remove her.Brown said it took 15 minutes to cut through the wreckage.''We weren't able to remove her right away from the car, so it slowed down getting her help,'' he said.

PAINFUL WAIT
Family members of another classmate waited anxiously for Alejandro ''Alex'' Lorenzo, also a freshman at Miami Beach High. They had been unable to reach him on his cellular phone.'I know I shouldn't say this. But, thank you, God. Thank you,' '' a female relative said, still badly shaken, after learning he was not among the victims.A family friend later said Lorenzo was one of two people in the white Eclipse and was being questioned by Miami Beach police. Police were unable to confirm the identities of any of those involved.

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Teens Mourn Students Killed In Apparent Drag Race

(NBC6 MIAMI)

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. -- Students at Miami Beach Senior High School returned to class Monday, just days after an apparent street drag race killed one of their classmates and left another seriously injured.

All weekend, family and friends have been leaving flowers and signs at the scene where the accident happened on Pine Tree Drive -- not far from the high school campus."One of our patrol officers, moments before the accident occurred, saw them several blocks away traveling at a high rate of speed together and that confirmed they were drag racing," said Officer Wayne Johnson, of the Miami Beach Police Department. An officer reportedly saw a red Camaro driving alongside a white Mitsubishi Eclipse before the crash.

Driver Yirian Alonso, 19, was killed when his Camaro struck a tree. His girlfriend from Orlando and his 14-year-old brother Yurian were also killed.

A fourth person, Joel Lombera, suffered a fractured skull but was expected to recover.Yurian Alfonso and Joel Lombera were freshmen at Miami Beach Senior High.

”We are encouraging individuals to speak with your children. Get close with them and explain the dangers of drag racing and speeding on the interstates and the roadways," a Florida Highway Patrol officer said. Police have cracked down on drag racing in the past. A sting operation last year on Chrome Avenue netted 200 arrests.

(photos of the accident: http://www.nbc6.net/slideshow/news/3780445/detail.html )