Driver Injured in Hialeah Crash With Police Officer “Is Not Doing Well”: John Leighton

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The driver who was seriously injured in a Hialeah crash that killed his girlfriend Friday night is in intensive care at Ryder Trauma Center and will have surgery in the next few days, his attorney said.

Marco Barrios “is not doing well,” attorney John Leighton said Wednesday.

“He has fractures, internal bleeding a head injury, he had loss of consciousness,” Leighton said.

Barrios and Andrea Castillo were heading north on 9th Court in an SUV when they collided with an unmarked police car being driven by an on-duty Hialeah Police officer who was traveling east on E. 49th Street Friday night, according to police.

The officer was airlifted to the hospital while Castillo was taken by ambulance. Hialeah Fire Capt. Cesar Espinosa said Tuesday that every patient on the scene was treated appropriately, however.

Leighton showed NBC 6 South Florida a letter sent to Hialeah Police Tuesday asking that they remove themselves from the investigation.

“We’re asking for Miami-Dade Police’s Department’s Traffic Homicide Unit to take over this investigation because of the obvious conflict of interest that has only been made worse by the acts of the Hialeah Police Department in acting in a very unprofessional and a very political way here,” he said.

Castillo is the daughter of newly elected Miami-Dade School Board member Susie Castillo.

Leighton claimed the police department rushed to blame his client for the crash on Tuesday.

“It is apparent in this investigation thus far that the driver, Marco Barrios, violated the stop sign and proceeded through the intersection,” Hialeah Police spokesman Carl Zogby said then.

But Barrios’ attorney claims the officer was going at a high rate of speed when he sideswiped his client’s Jeep. What happened after the crash is even more of a reason for the case to be investigated by another agency, Leighton added.

“Why would you medevac out the police officer only and leave the two civilians to fend for themselves and get an ambulance ride to the hospital?” he asked

Castillo’s family has also posed that question, saying that she died of her injuries and the officer is expected to recover.

The Hialeah police and fire departments declined to comment Wednesday, saying they are waiting for the outcome of the investigation.