In an instant, Delray Beach crash robbed man of 4 family members

In an instant, the lives of Gilberto Martinez’s wife and their two young children were lost in a Delray Beach crash, and he wasn’t there to say goodbye.

The driver of a pickup tried to swerve into a turn lane to avoid another car before crashing into a minivan, killing Martinez’s wife, Veronica Mariel Raschiotto, 42, and their two children, Diego, 8, and Mia, 6, all of Mexico City, according to a police report.

Also in the minivan on April 28 as it waited to turn off South Federal Highway was Raschiotto’s brother, Jorge Claudio Raschiotto, 50, of Argentina, who also died.

Tuesday, Martinez’s lawyer, Scott B. Smith, of West Palm Beach, said he is representing Gilberto Martinez and is investigating the crash, the condition of the truck and its driver.

Martinez is “devastated,” and at the mention of his wife’s name, “he is overcome with grief, sorrow and pain,” Smith said. “The loss of his entire family at the same exact moment in time is beyond all human comprehension.”

Martinez, 41, of Mexico City, is an attorney who specializes in intellectual property law. Professional commitments kept him home when his wife took their children on trips to visit with aunts, uncles and a grandmother.

Smith called his investigation “a truth-seeking process” and said he wants to get answers for Martinez.

The relatives — Veronica, her kids and her brother — were visiting South Florida for a family reunion. Their Dodge Caravan minivan was waiting to turn east at Lamat Avenue and continue to their rental home when it was struck from behind by a Chevrolet Silverado pickup.

The pickup was driven by Paul W. Streater, 21, of Delray Beach, who told police that while driving south along South Federal Highway, the accelerator became stuck, according to a traffic crash report released by Delray Beach police on Monday night.

Streater had cars traveling to

his right and in front of him as he drove south, and swerved left into the left turn lane and into the minivan.

The collision had such force that the pickup and minivan became entangled and continued traveling east into northbound lanes. A Buick Encore SUV collided with the vehicles, according to the report.

The pickup was driven in a erratic/reckless/aggressive manner, the report said.

Also, witnesses reported that the pickup had been traveling at a high rate of speed in a 45-mph zone, and it appeared to be weaving in traffic.

Delray Beach firefighters had to use a winch to pull the vehicles apart to get to the minivan, but the Raschiotto siblings and her children were already dead, Delray Beach police spokeswoman Dani Moschella said at the time.

Streater was not arrested; he has a clean driving history in Florida, state records show.

In fatal crashes, it’s typical for police agencies not to make an arrest on the day of the collision, as police will try to re-enact the accident and collect test results, witness statements, video and other evidence.

Smith, the attorney, said police were at the crash scene last weekend, working to replicate it.

Streater is cooperating with the investigation and voluntarily gave blood for testing as part of the investigation, his lawyer said. He was not injured; his passenger and housemate, Tyler Flower, 25, was taken to a hospital.

Christopher and Natalia Barber, of Boca Raton, were in the Buick and had minor injuries, police said.

Smith said Martinez would travel to the U.S. several times a year for business. He met Veronica, an accountant and comptroller, when she moved to Mexico City in 2002 for work. They married in 2004.

Diego, a third-grader, played on three soccer teams and was nearly fluent in English. He also was learning to play piano, rode his bike and skateboard and played video games, especially FIFA soccer on his Xbox.

Mia studied ballet, liked to sing, and also was learning English. She was in first grade.

The family loved to travel, enjoyed skiing and had planned to attend the World Cup in Russia in June, Smith said.

After getting the phone call near midnight April 28, Martinez flew to South Florida the next morning to identify his loved ones.

During the family funerals in Mexico City last weekend, mourners brought soccer balls and dolls to donate to orphanages in memory of Diego and Mia.

Delray Beach police ask anyone with information about the crash to call Investigator Henry Lugo at 561-243-7800.