WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Nine months after a head-on crash took the lives of a Boca Raton mother and son, a driver involved in the wreck faces charges in their deaths.
Alexander Lawrence Spandau, 30, of west Boynton Beach, went before a judge Thursday, charged with two counts of vehicular homicide.
The arrest is helping bring closure to the family members of the two victims, Elizabeth and Daniel Polo, who were mother and son.
Region S Palm Beach County
Boca Raton man, woman die in crash in western Boca Raton
"It's been long overdue," David and Ricky Polo said. "We want justice to be served and, you know, my mother and my brother deserve that."
"Because of the severity of the case, I think the state actually is being extremely reasonable in its request of a $75,000 per count bond," Judge Donald Hafele said during Spandau's hearing.
Brothers David and Ricky Polo were in the courtroom Thursday morning to honor their mother, Elizabeth, and their brother, Daniel, who died in the crash.
"I wanted to see the person who did this to our family," David and Ricky Polo said. "This accident has affected many lives both from our side, and I can't imagine his side and his family with his father trying to do his best for his son."
The wreck happened at Glades Road and Boca Grove Boulevard on Jan. 24 in western Boca Raton.
According to the arrest report, Spandau's truck went into oncoming traffic and collided head-on with Elizabeth and Daniel Polo's SUV. Elizabeth died at the scene and Daniel died at Delray Beach Center later that day.
"We miss our mom's contagious smile and her laugh, and we miss Danny being the uncle that he is," David and Ricky Polo said. "We have kids. You know, it's very hard that ... our kids are like, 'I miss my uncle. I miss my grandmother.'"
However, the brothers said that Thursday marked the start of their healing. They hope the wreck will serve as a reminder to other drivers.
"My big thing is .... slow it down," David and Ricky Polo said. "All it takes is one mistake, one glance not looking at the mirror, and you can be in a similar situation."
