The woman behind the wheel in a crash that killed two teens last month said she and her family think about the tragedy every single day.
Speaking for the first time since the tragedy exclusively to NBC 6, the driver, 23-year-old Asia Valentine, said she and her family feel deeply for the parents of the teen couple who died. Her lawyer said no crime was committed.
The tragedy unfolded on July 27 on a stretch of Pembroke Road just west of I-75, where there are no street lights. Valentine told NBC 6 that she simply didn't see the teens out in the road, helping a friend push his broken down BMW.
"I tried my best to avoid the collision but it was just so dark outside," Valentine said. "It is a tragedy and I think about it every day. It’s just very unfortunate."
Valentine spent part of Tuesday at the Miramar Police Department speaking to detectives. They are gathering evidence to decide whether Valentine should face any criminal charges.
Valentine and her parents exclusively told NBC 6 the accident that killed Jonah Mosaphir and Gabrielle Camps, both 19, is something that haunts them every minute and they have no words to express their sense of sadness for the families of the teens. The friend, 19-year-old Giovanni Martinez, was seriously injured.
"I think about it usually at night time at the time it actually happened and when I first wake up in the morning," Valentine said.
The crash happened two weeks ago. The victims' families continue to grieve their losses.
"He had a bright future going. The family's very distraught right now," said Vic Mosaphir, Jonah's uncle.
Police obtained a search warrant for Valentine's vehicle for testing and are also taking a look at her cellphone, which are standard police procedures.
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"I think the police know there's no alcohol involved. There are no drugs involved. She wasn't texting. She wasn't on the phone. We know the area that it happened, there's no lights," said Valentine's attorney, Barry Snyder.
The police report listed Valentine's condition at the time of the accident as normal and says she attempted to swerve out to the way but failed to do so in time.
"I was coming from my best friend's house and I was coming home, and it just happened out of nowhere. I just seen them at the last minute and I tried to avoid it but it was too late," she said.
Police are trying to sort through conflicting accounts. One witness said the disabled vehicle's lights were on.
But Valentine's lawyer showed NBC 6 the written statement delivered to police Tuesday that claims the disabled vehicle didn't have any lights working.
John Lucas Vogel, who is Valentine's neighbor, said when he passed the car, it was in the dark.
"It was turned off and at the moment, the kids weren't pushing the vehicle. They were on the side of the road so it’s not like they were blocking the blinkers," Vogel explained.
The lawyer for one of the families told NBC 6 they believe the disabled vehicle lights were flashing and they believe Valentine was distracted for some reason.
As to whether she was distracted, or did nothing wrong, Miramar Police said their investigation is underway and that they cannot release any details.
