Yanaisa Pulido always went the extra mile for her patients as a Miami paramedic. Now, her family needs others to come to her aid after the good samaritan was killed in a crash while helping people stranded on Interstate 95 over the weekend, according to her GoFundMe page.
A man, a woman and a 7-year-old boy from Doral were also injured Sunday in the Fort Lauderdale six-car crash, state troopers said.
Pulido was a hard worker, Dayami Apaulaza, a loved one, said in a GodFundMe fundraiser that she organized to cover the 23-year-old’s funeral expenses.
“Yanaisa was a hero and wanted to help people however she could,” Apaulaza said.
How did the crash unfold on I-95?
Around 4 a.m., Pulido was behind the wheel of a black Kia Forte sedan traveling south on I-95 when she stopped in one of the center lanes and got out of her car to help two other drivers involved in a crash, Florida Highway Patrol said in a news release.
However, as a 41-year-old Doral man driving a silver Cadillac ATS sedan began to slow down to avoid a collision with the back of Pulido’s car, a 19-year-old Pembroke Pines woman in a black Lexus IS300 crashed into the rear of his car.
The impact caused the man’s sedan, which had a 34-year-old woman and a 7-year-old boy as passengers, to rotate counter-clockwise as it moved forward — subsequently throwing Pulido and smashing the left side of her car.
Moments later, the driver behind the wheel of a sixth vehicle crashed into one of the cars involved in the first accident, a concrete barrier wall and the silver Cadillac.
Pulido died at the scene, Florida troopers said.
The Cadillac’s driver was critically injured, while his passengers were injured to a lesser extent. The woman driving the black Lexus and the two drivers involved in the first crash were not hurt.
According to Apaulaza, Pulido knew the Cadillac’s driver.
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A plea for help
Pulido’s dream was to be a first responder and save lives, according to Apaulaza.
After graduating from the Hialeah Fire Cadet program in 2019, Pulido worked for a private EMS company as she completed her studies.
“All Yanaisa wanted to do was help people and save lives,” Apauliza said. “We are asking for help from the community that she loved so much. Please help us honor this hero.”
It seems like Apaulaza’s plea for help is being heard.
More than $21,000 had been raised to pay for Pulido’s funeral as of Monday afternoon.
Miami Herald staff writer David Neal contributed to this report.
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