OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. – A man and his 2-year-old daughter were killed Thursday in an Osceola County crash, the Florida Highway Patrol said.
The crash was reported at 11:05 p.m. at the intersection of Kissimmee Bay Boulevard and Fortune Road.
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“I think any death is tragedy but when we see kids involved, a lot of us have kids, grandkids, nieces, nephews. It really is sad because we know that they don’t get a chance to grow up,” FHP Lt. Kim Montes said.
According to the report, the 38-year-old man was traveling west on Kissimmee Bay Boulevard when the vehicle left the roadway and struck a tree. The vehicle then caught fire, troopers say.
“The front of the vehicle impacted the tree so great that the car crushed in on the driver,” Montes said. “... A good percentage of our fatal crashes, especially in Osceola and Volusia County, a lot of them end up being single vehicles.”
While the toddler was in a car seat, both the driver and his daughter were pronounced dead at the scene, according to the FHP.
“We know that the vehicle left the roadway and caught fire, but we want to determine why. Was the driver distracted? Did the driver doze off? We just have to look at everything,” Montes said.
This crash remains under investigation.
A family friend set up a GoFundMe page to help the partner and mother of the two crash victims.
The organizer aims “to raise money for Sinead’s living expenses, bills and food,” according to the page.