TAMPA, Fla. — A 5-year-old has died after falling out of a moving car on a roadway in East Tampa, according to Florida Highway Patrol.
Troopers said it happened near North 50th Street and East 23rd Avenue just before 3:30 p.m. They said a 2007 Nissa Titan was heading westbound on East Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard when the driver attempted to make a right turn onto northbound North 56th Street.
"As the driver completed the right turn, an unrestrained five-year-old child sitting in the rear left passenger seat opened the rear left door and fell out of the vehicle onto North 56th Street," FHP said in a news release.
The child's father alerted the driver, his cousin, who immediately stopped, but the car was on top of the 5-year-old's legs, FHP reports. The driver then moved the car so the dad could pick the child up and take them to a hospital.
On their way, they were able to flag down a Tampa officer on North 50th Street and East 23rd Avenue and asked for assistance.
The 5-year-old was transported to an area hospital where they were later pronounced dead.
The driver's two children in the car were restrained in car seats. No one else was hurt.