SUMMERFIELD, Fla. — A 36-year-old woman was killed and ten others were injured in a five-vehicle accident in Summerfield Tuesday afternoon, a report from the Florida Highway Patrol says.
Among the injured were six children between the ages of two and 11. One of the vehicles involved in the crash, a van that toppled over on top of two cars, was transporting special-needs children, authorities said.
The woman who died was a passenger in the van.
Everyone else in the van was wearing a seatbelt. The driver, a 53-year-old woman, and a 9-year-old, a 4-year-old, a 2-year-old and a 3-year-old who were inside the van were injured. FHP's report lists all of their injuries as "serious."
Police said that the van was travelling South on US Highway 441 while a Dodge Journey was traveling east on Southeast 147 Place. The two vehicles entered the intersection of the two roads at approximately the same time, the crash report says.
The van crashed into the side of the Journey, collided with a Toyota Corolla and a Subaru Outback that traveling north and rolled onto its side, landing on top of the Corolla and Outback.
"Between the first and second collision," the report says, the passenger was ejected from the car and fatally injured. She was not wearing a seatbelt, FHP said.
The Journey also had a second collision, crashing into a Nissan Altima after colliding with the van -- bringing the total number of cars involved up to five.
The collision between the van and the Journey, which spun out into the accidents that followed, was the most severe. In addition to the injuries of the special-needs children and other passengers in the van, a 31-year-old and two children, ages seven and eleven were seriously injured.
The driver of the Corolla had minor injuries, the driver of the Outback was uninjured, and the driver of the Altima had only minor injuries.
Highway Patrol is investigating the cause of the initial collision and whether one of the drivers ran a red light.