PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — None of the nine people killed in a devastating SUV crash in western Palm Beach County on Monday night — including six children between the ages of one and 14 — were using safety equipment at the time of the wreck, according to the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office.
According to an official crash report from PBSO, a 2023 Ford Explorer, driven by Pamela Wiggins, 56, was going westbound on Hatton Highway, outside of Belle Glade, just before 7:30 p.m. and approaching a southbound curve.
Wiggins lost control and the Explorer drove off the road, slammed into a guardrail, then flipped over and landed in a canal.
Under the "Safety Equipment" section of the crash report, "None" was listed for each of the 10 people inside the vehicle.
The report didn't specify what that safety equipment was. However, Florida law requires all drivers, front seat passengers, and anyone under the age of 18 inside a motor vehicle to wear a seat belt or be in a child restraint device.
In addition, children 5 and under must be secured in a crash-tested, federally approved child restraint device, including a forward or rear-facing car seat or booster seat, Florida law states.
It's unclear why no one inside the Ford Explorer was using safety equipment.
According to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles' website, motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death among children.
"In 2022, there were 85 child passenger fatalities due to vehicle crashes," the department said on its website. "Of these fatalities, almost 50 percent were not wearing any type of restraint."
In addition to Wiggins, the deceased have been identifed as Leiana Alyse Hall, 30, Anyia Monique Lee Tucker, 21, as well as six children, ages 14, 8, two 5-year-olds, a 3-year-old, and a 1-year-old.
A tenth passenger, Jorden Rickey Hall, 26, was taken St. Mary's Medical Center with serious injuries.
According to the crash report, the driver, Wiggins, would've celebrated her 57th birthday on Tuesday. The report said Anyia Monique Lee Tucker and one of the 5-year-old victims were from Bridgeport, Connecticut, while the 3-year-old boy was from Chesapeake, Virginia.
The associate director of the collaborative sciences center for road safety at Florida Atlantic University said crashes on rural roads are not uncommon.
“What happens, especially in the evening, drivers are traveling along a roadway that communicates travel at higher speeds and then they become surprised when the road abruptly shifts,” Eric Dumbaugh said.
He added that some rural roads have sharp turns.
“Often times it’s not intentional as these roads link up to dirt roads that existed way before automobiles,” Dumbaugh said.
