All 7 passengers not wearing seat belts in crash that killed toddler in Florida, troopers say

None of the seven passengers involved in a crash when a midsized pickup flipped on a South Florida interstate Thursday were wearing seat belts, the Florida Highway Patrol said Friday.

The body of a 1-year-old boy was found in water near the crash site hours after the child was ejected from the pickup, which blew a tire and crashed into a ditch parallel to Florida’s Alligator Alley.

Alligator Alley is named for the section of Interstate 75 that crosses the Everglades in South Florida between Naples and western Broward County.

BREAKING NEWS: Driver, six passengers not wearing seat belts, restraint in crash that killed 1-year-old boy on Alligator Alley. https://t.co/asbdfQyeO6
— WPLG Local 10 News (@WPLGLocal10) September 4, 2020

The toddler, along with three adults and three children, were traveling from Tampa inside a Nissan Frontier pickup when it crashed in the eastbound lanes of Interstate 75 near Mile Marker 28, the Sun-Sentinel reported.

According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the vehicle was traveling in the far left, or fast lane, when a tire blew out around 4:30 p.m., WPLG reported. The vehicle ran off the right shoulder of the roadway and flipped several times, the television station reported. The baby was thrown from the car and landed in the canal, according to the FHP.

“This vehicle swerved into the right and rolled over,” Lt. Yanko Reyes of the Florida Highway Patrol told WPLG.

According to a crash report, the toddler did not have a child restraint, the Sun-Sentinel reported. He was found shortly before 8:30 p.m., according to WPLG.

The 33-year-old man who drove the pickup suffered minor injuries, the newspaper reported. Two women, ages 56 and 31, were seriously injured. The other three children in the vehicle -- a 10-year-old boy, an 8-year-old girl and a 4-year-old boy -- had minor injuries.

According to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, drivers and passengers 18 or older can be cited if they, or any passenger under the age of 18, are not properly secured with a seat belt or restraint, WPLG reported. More serious charges could be lodged against the driver because of the boy’s death, the television station reported.