OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — A Tuesday evening crash involving multiple vehicles on State Road 429 has killed two women and a child, while also injuring others, according to Florida Highway Patrol.
- Two women, 1 child killed in deadly S.R. 429 crash near I-4
- Four other family members are being hospitalized
- More Osceola coverage | Central Florida traffic news
FHP’s Lt. Kim Montes said the deadly crash happened at S.R. 429 at Sinclair Road (Exit 1A southbound) around 5:30 p.m. during rush hour traffic.
In a press conference at the scene, Montes said traffic began to slow down in the area when the crash occurred. A white pickup truck reportedly did not slow down and read-ended a 2020 Toyota van with an out-of-state family of eight inside, causing the van to overturn to its side.
A 2014 four-door Chrysler and a 2018 four-door Nissan were also hit in the incident.
According to Osceola County Fire Rescue spokesperson Andrew Sullivan, emergency crews had to extricate people from inside the flipped van. In total there were four adults and four children in the vehicle.
Montes confirmed one "adult female," an "elderly female," and a 5-year-old girl were pronounced dead at the scene. The ages of the women are not yet known.
Sullivan told Spectrum News 13 that two men were transported to Orlando Regional Medical Center, while two children were taken to Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children. They sustained non-life threatening injuries and are expected to be OK.
An 11-year-old boy was airlifted to Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children in critical condition. He is currently unresponsive, according to Montes.
The crash is under investigation. Charges against the driver in the white pickup truck are pending.
Montes said this deadly crash, among other recent ones, should be a warning to every driver.
“We’re having more and more of these crashes. Just two weeks ago on the (Florida) Turnpike, a 4-month-old child lost (their) life after a woman failed to slow and rear-ended their car. It’s a reminder to driver that traffic can stop suddenly. If you’re traveling along you don’t know what may be up ahead that causes traffic to slow. This is another reason for drivers to put down the phone and cancel out all distractions in the vehicle," she said at a press conference.
Southbound lanes of S.R. 429 are expected to be closed through midnight.