Woman killed, six children injured in crash on U.S. 441 South in Marion County
SUMMERFIELD — A small memorial has been created at the intersection where a five-vehicle crash killed a woman and sent multiple others to nearby hospitals on Tuesday.
A stuffed animal cradling flowers was wrapped around a metal sign at Southeast Sunset Harbor Road and U.S. 441 South on Wednesday.
Written on the white top covering the upper body of the toy was a message to the victim who was killed in the crash. In part, the message says: "Rest in heaven Holly. You were the kindest sweetest woman and a wonderful mother." The message ended with the words "We all love you so much."
Nine other people were injured in the crash, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
Of the nine injured, six were children, ages 2 to 11. Four of the six were described as special-needs children.
As of Wednesday evening, most of those who were injured had been released from hospitals, troopers said.
Marion County Fire Rescue received the call at 3:08 p.m. Tuesday and arrived on scene at 3:15 p.m. The woman was pronounced deceased at the scene shortly after that.
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The crash involved two cars, two SUVs and one small bus from Cradling Hands Transport, Inc., according to the patrol.
This is how the crash happened
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, here is what happened:
A Dodge Journey SUV was eastbound on Southeast 147th Place, also known as Sunset Harbor Road. The small bus was southbound on U.S. 441 South.
The vehicles collided at the signalized intersection. The bus rotated counter-clockwise, hit the curb, and tipped over onto a Toyota Corolla and a Subaru Outback.
The Dodge SUV was redirected into northbound traffic on U.S. 441. It struck a Nissan Altima.
The woman who died was a passenger inside the small bus. She was ejected from the vehicle. The patrol no longer provides names of people involved in crashes; troopers said only that she was a 36-year-old Ocala woman.
The Florida Highway Patrol and other first responders were on scene Tuesday evening interviewing witnesses and clearing the scene. The road reopened to traffic at 8 p.m.
The investigation is ongoing.
More information about the people involved in the crash
The small bus held three women: a driver, 53, from Ocala, and two passengers. One of them, age 28, survived. The 36-year-old passenger died. There also were four children: girls ages 9, 4 and 3 and one boy, age 2.
The Dodge Journey was driven by a 31-year-old woman and carried her two children –an 11-year-old girl and a 7-year-old boy – as passengers. They are from Summerfield.
The Corolla was driven by a 53-year-old Summerfield man. The Outback was driven by a 64-year-old Belleview. The Altima was driven by a 40-year-old Ocala woman.
The transport company id declined comment.
Troopers on Wednesday said they are reviewing video to see what color the traffic lights were when the collision happened. They have not yet interviewed the driver of the small bus.
The crash has been turned over to the Florida Advanced Investigation and Reconstruction team, or FLAIR, which is an FHP team that probes high-profile crashes.
Contact Austin L. Miller at austin.miller@starbanner.com
This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Crash in Marion County, Florida kills one, injures nine, including six kids
