Two-car wreck kills 2, injures 3

A two-car accident early Saturday on Interstate 75 left two men dead and three others with minor injuries, according to a report from the Florida Highway Patrol.

Salvador Diaz, 20, of South Bay, a passenger in a Volkwagen Passat, died at the scene, as did the driver of the other vehicle, a Kia Optima. He has not been identified, pending notification of relatives.

The Optima driver was southbound at 2:51 a.m. and not wearing a seat belt when he struck the rear of the Passat, according to the highway patrol report.

The force of the collision, just north of the Sheridan Street exit in Davie, caused the Passat to leave the roadway on the west side and fall into a ditch. The Optima overturned and ejected the driver into the roadway, where he may have been struck by other vehicles, the report says.

The driver of the Passat, Ricardo Adolpho Hernandez, 19, of Belle Glade, and his two other passengers, Juan Diego Almazan, 18, of Loxahatchee, and Andrew Rios, 19, of Belle Glade, all sustained minor injuries. They were taken to Memorial Hospital Miramar.

It is unknown whether the three survivors were wearing seat belts when the accident occurred. The dead passenger was wearing one, according to the report.

Alcohol is not believed to be a factor for Hernandez. Tests are pending on the dead Optima driver.