A 6-year-old girl was killed after being struck by a car while walking to school with her family earlier this week, according to Florida authorities.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said deputies responded around 7:00 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 4, to reports of a collision between a vehicle and pedestrians at the intersection of Mohr Road and Sheldon Road in Tampa.
When first responders arrived, they found a woman and her two children injured at the scene. The young girl was pronounced dead shortly afterward, the sheriff’s office said.
Authorities identified the victim as Rosangela Segundo-Osorio, according to the Tampa Bay Times and NBC affiliate WFLA. Her mother, Catalina Osorio-Jimenez, and brother, Peter Segundo-Osorio, were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.
Rosangela attended Faith Outreach Academy in Tampa. The school shared a GoFundMe page on Facebook to support her family, writing:
“Faith Outreach is saddened by Rose’s passing. Our hearts and prayers are with her family. But we rejoice in knowing ‘to be absent from the body and to be present with The Lord.’ ”
The sheriff’s office said the family was using a crosswalk when a car traveling eastbound on Mohr Road made a right turn onto Sheldon Road and struck them. The driver, identified as Isain Ledesma, 77, was transported for medical evaluation.
Undersheriff Thomas St. John stated during a news conference, “The pedestrians always have the right of way. End of story.”
Ledesma, who had a green light, was cited for a violation of the right of way with death, authorities confirmed.
Sheriff Chad Chronister called the incident “an unimaginable tragedy for a family who should have simply been starting their day together.”
“This is a heartbreaking reminder that every second behind the wheel carries responsibility, especially when children are walking to school,” Chronister said. “Slow down and stay alert, so no other family endures this kind of pain.”
