LAKE COUNTY, Fla. -- A 7-year-old Fort Pierce boy died in a crash on the Florida Turnpike early Saturday morning.
Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) says a 2003 Dodge Caravan minivan was traveling northbound on the Florida Turnpike in Lake County, Florida near Orlando (mile marker 290) at 1:15 a.m. Saturday.
Behind the minivan was a 2015 semi truck driven by 51-year-old William Irvin Anderson, Jr. of West Park, Florida.
According to FHP, as Anderson pulled up behind the minivan, he failed to slow down and collided with the rear of the Caravan, pushing it into the guardrail.
The semi truck continued into the outside shoulder and overturned onto its right side.
7-year-old Adrian Perez was pronounced dead at the scene. FHP says the child was properly restrained in an approved child seat. The driver, 32-year-old Salvador Hernandez of Fort Pierce, suffered minor injuries. His other passengers, 4-year-old Avelino Perez, 6-year-old Kayla Perez, and 9-year-old Elbia Perez, all of Fort Pierce, were hospitalized with serious injuries.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
