University of Miami student Ivanna Villanueva, 19, was involved in a fatal car crash early Sunday morning at the intersection of LeJeune Road and Majorca Avenue.
At around 4:30 a.m., Villanueva was driving south on LeJeune Road between 80 and 85 mph when she slammed into 68-year-old Eyder Ayala’s vehicle, according to police reports.
Ayala’s trunk was pushed toward the car’s front seats. She sustained fatal injuries, including extensive trauma to her forehead, and was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. Villanueva was not injured.
Villanueva went before a judge on Monday morning, and was charged with vehicular homicide and driving in a reckless manner.
However, she could face additional charges because, according to police reports, she said she consumed alcohol while at a club earlier that night. Her blood alcohol level was tested at the scene of the accident and the results are pending.
She was released from jail on $50,000 bond and is now on house arrest. However, Villanueva is allowed to attend classes.
Dean of Students Ricardo Hall would not comment on Villanueva’s case.
Her family released the following statement to the media: “The Villanueva family is exceedingly saddened by the events of this past Sunday and Ivanna Villanueva is grief stricken over the tragic accident. Everyone in the family wishes to convey their deepest sympathies to the Ayala family at this very, very sad time.”