LAKELAND, Fla. — A 5-year-old girl perished in a burning car after the vehicle crashed into a tree in Lakeland despite attempts to save her, according to Polk County Sheriff's deputies.
The crash happened around 5 p.m. Thursday at the intersection of Lake Parker Drive East and Broadway Street.
A 30-year-old Winter Haven man was driving with his two young children, a 5-year-old girl and a 3-year-old boy in a white Kia sedan. The car was going west on Broadway Street, toward the intersection of Lake Parker Drive East.
The man drove through the intersection into a grassy, wooded area and crashed into a tree. Following the collision, the car caught fire.
According to deputies, a witness and the father tried to get both children out of the backseat of the car. The little boy was rescued, but the little girl tragically died in the fire.
Responding deputies and crews with Polk County Fire Rescue rushed the man and his son to the hospital for treatment of their injuries. The good Samaritan who helped was also taken to the hospital for treatment of burns sustained while helping pull the occupants out of the car.
The investigation into the crash is ongoing.