An 11-year-old Leesburg girl was killed Friday night in Osceola County when the SUV she was riding in was involved in a crash with two other vehicles that may have been street racing.
The crash took place shortly after 11 p.m. on U.S. 192 near Secret Lane Drive when a 2013 Dodge Charger, a 2018 Toyota Rav4 and a 2015 Kia Optima were traveling westbound on U.S. 192. The Dodge Charger was traveling behind the Toyota Rav4 in the inside lane and the Kia Optima was in the center lane, a Florida Highway Patrol report states.
The driver of the Charger failed to slow down and struck the rear of the SUV, sending it into the median into a warning sign. The Charger left the roadway and collided with a speed limit sign and the Optima was struck by debris from the collision, the FHP report says.
The girl riding in the Rav4, who wasn’t wearing a seat belt, later died at a hospital. The 35-year-old female driver of the SUV was seriously injured and her 23-year-old female passenger suffered critical injuries, the report says, adding that both are from Leesburg and both were wearing seat belts.
The 19-year-old male driver of the Charger, of Davenport, received minor injuries and his 19-year-old male passenger wasn’t injured. Neither of them were wearing seat belts and no hometown was listed in the report for the passenger.
The 17-year-old male driver of the Optima, of Loughman, was traveling alone and wasn’t injured, the report says, adding that he was wearing a seat belt.
Multiple witnesses told FHP officers that the drivers of the Charger and the Optima were “actively engaged in a street race” prior to the crash. The incident remains under investigation and charges are pending, the report says.
