2 adults die when their car flips on I-4 in Davenport. 16-year-old suffers minor injuries

Rebecca Lee, The Ledger
·2 min read

DAVENPORT — Two adults were killed in a single-vehicle crash that left a teenage passenger injured on I-4 in Davenport last week.

The Polk County Sheriff's Office said in a news release that deputies responded to the crash on eastbound I-4 near Davenport exit 55 about 7:28 p.m. Thursday with Polk County Fire Rescue. They said The Florida Department of Transportation also responded to assist with traffic control.

When first responders arrived, the sheriff's office said 22-year old Sandra Diaz of Tampa was found dead in the 2015 Toyota 4Runner and 18-year old Maria Cruz of Tampa was taken to a local hospital where she died shortly after. A 16-year-old boy from Lutz was taken to a local hospital with minor injuries.

Two adults from Tampa died when their car flipped on I-4 in Davenport last week. A 16-year-old boy survived with minor injuries.
Two adults from Tampa died when their car flipped on I-4 in Davenport last week. A 16-year-old boy survived with minor injuries.

The PCSO Traffic Homicide Unit said Diaz was driving the Toyota while Cruz rode in the front passenger seat and the 16-year-old sat in the back. Detectives said neither Diaz nor Cruz was wearing a seatbelt and both were ejected, while the 16-year-old was wearing his seatbelt.

The Sheriff's Office said the Toyota's data recorder showed it was traveling 93 mph right before the crash. Witnesses said the Toyota and another car were both going fast on I-4 while switching lanes but didn't seem to be racing each other.

As the Toyota switched from the inside lane to the middle or outside lane, and Diaz lost control of the car, officials said. The Toyota started to rotate and then left the road and flipped. The car came to a stop in the middle and outside lanes after Diaz and Cruz were ejected from the vehicle.

“The two who weren’t buckled in tragically died, while the one who was buckled in survived with minor injuries," Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said in a prepared statement. "But this could have been avoided. According to the witnesses and investigation, the vehicle was being driven recklessly and too fast. It is an example of why we started the Interstate 4 Initiative in September of 2020 … to show people we are serious about cracking-down on this type of driving on I-4."

Since the initiative began, the Sheriff's Office has cited 397 drivers for driving more than 100 mph, Judd said.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: 2 Tampa women die after being ejected from car on I-4 in Davenport