POLK COUNTY, Fla. – A 22-month-old boy is dead and a 5-year-old boy has a broken neck after a drunk driving crash in Polk County Wednesday morning, according to the sheriff’s office.
The wreck happened in unincorporated Polk City just after midnight along Deen Still Road near the intersection with Old Grade Road about 10 miles north of the city of Lake Alfred. A 2019 Chevrolet pickup had gone off the road, through a barbed wire fence and hit several trees, according to a news release.
Recommended Videos
[TRENDING: NASA sets new launch date for Artemis I moon mission | Win four 3-day park hopper passes to Walt Disney World | Become a News 6 Insider]
Deputies said they found the toddler dead on arrival. Investigators said the 22-month-old was not in a child-safety seat and was thrown from the pickup during the crash.
The 5-year-old was taken to the hospital. Deputies said they are trying to determine whether the 5-year-old was wearing a seatbelt.
Guadalupe Najera Santana, 30, was the driver of the truck, according to the release. Investigators said they found several opened and unopened containers of beer in the truck.
Najera Santana admitted to consuming several beers prior to the crash, records show. Deputies said they took breath samples from the woman, showing breath alcohol content was 0.141 and 0.139 on each test — nearly twice the legal limit.
Najera Santana faces charges of DUI manslaughter, negligent child abuse, DUI with serious bodily injury, DUI with property damage and driving with an expired license.
Get today’s headlines in minutes with Your Florida Daily: