Three children among 4 killed when 15-year-old driver runs stop sign, Florida cops say
A 15-year-old driver missed a stop sign while speeding, leading to a crash that killed four people, including three children ages 1, 9 and 11, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
The identity of the teen driver has not been released, but he suffered serious injuries in the crash, officials said in a news release.
It happened just before 7 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 3, in the Poinciana community, about 30 miles south of Orlando.
Investigators say the 15-year-old, who lives in Kissimmee, was traveling with three juvenile teens “at a high rate of speed” on Laurel Avenue when he drove through a stop sign at San Miguel Street.
His car then collided with the side of a Honda HR-V, which was sent spinning before it left the roadway and crashed into a light pole, officials said.
Inside the Honda were two adults and three children from Poinciana: A 1-year-old girl, 9 year-old boy and 11-year-old girl, officials said.
The 50-year-old woman driving the Honda died at the scene, along with a child who had been sitting in a rear passenger seat, officials said. Two other children from the SUV died later at a hospital.
A 52-year-old man, who was also a passenger in the Honda, was taken to a hospital with serious injuries, officials said.
The three teens traveling with the 15-year-old driver were hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries. All were age 15, officials said.
The crash remains under investigation, and no charges have been filed, officials said.
Florida state law allows juveniles to get a learner’s permit at age 15, according to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. To receive a full driver’s license, you “must be at least 16 years old” and “hold (a) learner’s license for at least one year (12 months) or reach age 18, whichever comes first.”
Teens with a learner’s permit are not allowed to drive a vehicle unless they are “accompanied by a licensed driver 21+,” the state says.
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