Lakeland Police: Driver Accelerated Before Crash That Killed Soccer Player

The driver who plowed into a North Crystal Lake Drive home in June — killing a 24-year-old soccer player — didn’t apply the brakes or try to avoid the crash. Instead, in the five seconds before impact, he accelerated from 42 to 52 miles an hour, Lakeland Police said Monday.

Alexander Dalton Collins, 28, was arrested Thursday at a home on Crystal Grove Drive, less than a mile from the crash scene. He was charged with vehicular homicide and driving while his license was suspended or revoked, causing death or serious injury.

The victim, Yuri dos Santos Vasconcelos, came to the U.S. in 2021 from Palmeira dos Indios in Brazil’s eastern state of Alagoas. He was a member of the Lakeland United Football Club, playing on its summer league team.

Vasconcelos had recently transferred from Eastern Oklahoma State College to Faulkner University in Montgomery, Ala.

“The post-crash investigation determined Collins was traveling 42 miles per hour five seconds prior to impact, and increased speed to 52 miles per hour one second prior to impact,” LPD spokeswoman Stephanie Kerr said in a news release.

The crash happened at 4:12 p.m. on a clear Monday afternoon, across from one of the main entrances to Southeastern University.

Vasconcelos was in the kitchen when police say Collins ran the stop sign at Longfellow Boulevard, struck two signposts, crossed over North Crystal Lake Drive and careened into the two-bedroom bungalow. The posted speed limit on the roadway is 30 miles per hour.

Police said the recorded data from Collins’ white 2016 Dodge Durango showed no indication that he applied the brakes in an attempt to avoid the crash, and an inspection of the SUV found no evidence of mechanical failure prior to the crash.

Collins’ driver’s license had been suspended since December 2020.

“Based on the evidence collected thus far, investigators determined that Collins’ careless and/or negligent operation of the vehicle was the direct causation of the crash which resulted in the death of the victim,” the news release said.

Collins was released from the Polk County Jail on Monday after posting $20,000 bond. He must check in with Pretrial Services twice weekly, may not drive, and may not leave the state of Florida, according to court records.