HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — Five people are dead, including a 1-year-old and a 12-year-old, after a crash Sunday night in Hillsborough County.
It happened just before 9:30 p.m. on State Road 39 and Bruton Road, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
A 20-year-old woman was driving a 2015 Ford Explorer northbound on State Road 39 while a 53-year-old man was driving southbound in a 2021 Nissan Frontier. As the two cars approached each other, troopers say the Ford Explorer crossed the centerline of the highway and collided with the Nissan nearly head-on.
The Ford Explorer ended up along the west shoulder of the road while the Nissan came to a rest in the southbound lane.
Because no lights were illuminating the car on the road, a tractor-trailer crashed into the passenger side of the Nissan a short time later, according to FHP.
The 20-year-old woman and 53-year-old man both died at the scene, along with a 56-year-old woman and a 12-year-old girl riding in the Ford Explorer.
A 1-year-old girl riding in the Explorer later died at an area hospital, FHP says.
Three more people riding in the Explorer were seriously injured in the crash: a 22-year-old woman, a 31-year-old woman and a 5-year-old girl.
The tractor-trailer driver was not injured, troopers said.
Pasco County Schools released a statement upon learning the news of the crash:
"The district’s crisis team will be at Raymond B. Stewart Middle School today to help both students and staff process the news of this tragedy."