A 5-year-old boy has died and more than a dozen others were critically injured after a motorhome collided with another vehicle on a Florida highway just days after Christmas.
The crash happened around 5:45 a.m. local time on Saturday, Dec. 27. According to a Florida Highway Patrol crash report, a motorhome carrying 15 people was traveling south on U.S. Highway 27 when it struck an SUV traveling west on County Road 316 in Williston.
After the initial impact, the motorhome overturned, officials said. The 5-year-old boy riding in the motorhome was pronounced dead at the scene. Twelve other occupants from the motorhome were taken to nearby hospitals with critical injuries.
Officials said the 59-year-old woman driving the motorhome suffered minor injuries, while 12 of the 13 passengers were critically injured. The SUV’s driver — a 25-year-old woman who was the only person in that vehicle — was also transported to a hospital with critical injuries.
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An investigation is ongoing.
A spokesperson for the Districts 5 & 24 Medical Examiner identified the child as Christopher Sandlin.
In the aftermath of the crash, community members in Ohio have shared their grief. WHIO reported that the group traveling in the motorhome was from Clark County, Ohio, and that the boy attended preschool in the Greenon Local School District.
“The Greenon Local Schools community is heartbroken following a tragic accident in Florida involving members of our school family,” Greenon Local Schools Superintendent Darrin Knapke said in a statement shared with the outlet. “We mourn the loss of Tucker, who was a preschool student at Enon Elementary, and the son and grandson of our staff members at Greenon. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family during this incredibly difficult time.”
