PASCO COUNTY, Fla. — A baby girl was killed and two other children were injured in an overnight crash along Interstate 75 in Pasco County, Florida Highway Patrol said.
It happened just after midnight Thursday along I-75 near State Road 52.
Trooper say a Ford Fusion driving south on I-75 had gotten a low or flat tire, causing them to stop. Two adults got out of the car and tried to flag traffic over and away from the car as it continued driving slowly down the interstate.
At the same time, a tractor-trailer car hauler was driving south on I-75 in the outside lane. The hauler ended up crashing into the car, FHP said.
A 6-month-old girl inside the Ford died at the scene of the crash. Two other children, ages 8 months and 3 years, were also hurt; troopers added their injuries were minor. FHP reports none of the children were restrained in a car seat or by a seat belt when the crash happened.
The hauler didn't stop and continued going south down I-75 and took the State Road 52 exit. The driver, identified as 31-year-old Aramis Ramirez, then stopped the hauler and checked for any damages, FHP said. He then reportedly continued driving down SR-52 before going south along Old Pasco Road.
Eventually, however, the hauler "became disabled," which allowed Pasco County Sheriff's Office deputies to locate the car, troopers said. Ramirez was arrested for leaving the scene of a traffic crash involving death, FHP said.