A man involved in a two-vehicle wreck last month in Kissimmee that killed four people has been cited and arrested due to a visa violation, authorities said Monday.
Lucas D. R. Laurindo, 26, of Kissimmee, was arrested Feb. 28 on a visa violation, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. Laurindo originally is from Brazil.
Authorities said Laurindo was driving on U.S. 429 in the early evening of Feb. 18 when he rear-ended a van occupied by a family of tourists from Massachusetts. The crash ultimately killed Julie Smith, 41, of Whitman, Mass.; her children Scarlett, 5, and Jaxon, 11; and Smith’s mother, Josephine Fay, 76, of Weymouth, Mass.
Investigators from the Florida Highway Patrol determined Laurindo failed to slow to match traffic ahead of the crash. He was deemed at-fault for the collision.
In addition to the visa violation, Laurindo as cited with careless driving. According to the Florida State Patrol, the citation was “the strongest charge” that could be brought against Laurindo.
A GoFundMe campaign was set up to support the surviving members of the Massachuetts family. As of Monday evening, about $123,500 has been raised for the family.
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