POLK COUNTY – An unlicensed driver is accused of killing a 13-year-old Kissimmee girl while she was riding her bike to school, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.
The sheriff’s office said Micaela Coronel, 25, of Argentina, has been charged with operating a motor vehicle without a valid driver’s license causing death.
This charge is a third-degree felony.
Investigators said around 7:50 a.m. on April 3, Mariana Perez Borroto was riding her bike to Lake Marion Creek Middle School in Kissimmee.
Authorities said the 8th grader was hit by Coronel while the suspect was driving her Chrysler Town and Country minivan on Homosassa Road.
The teen was critically injured and was transported to the Arnold Palmer Children’s Hospital in Orlando.
The victim died at the hospital, according to investigators.
Deputies said Coronel told investigators she is in the country on a visitor pass from Argentina.
The sheriff’s office said she showed the deputies an Argentinian identification card.
Investigators said she doesn’t have a Florida driver’s license.
Authorities said she does not have a valid driver’s license at all.
The suspect told investigators at the time of the crash, condensation covered about 80 percent of her windshield, according to the sheriff’s office.
She told deputies the condensation was obstructing her view while she was driving, according to investigators.
The sheriff’s office said other factors may have contributed to the crash.
“This suspect should not have even been behind the wheel of a vehicle. This is an awful, senseless tragedy that should never have occurred. This beautiful child should be turning 14 years old in just two weeks, but for this suspect's illegal actions. Mariana's family and friends are in our prayers," Sheriff Grady Judd said in a press release.
Principal of Lake Marion Creek Middle, Johna Jozwiak released a statement on the student’s death:
“Our hearts are broken today. We are devastated by the loss of a very special member of our Lake Marion Creek Middle family. Mariana was a bright and sweet-natured girl who possessed a very polite and calm manner. She enjoyed studying history and loved spending her free time sketching in notebooks. We are devastated by this tragic news. Counselors are available at school for students and staff members. We have also rescheduled the rest of this week's Florida Standards Assessments testing to next week."