LAKELAND, Fla — A 6-year-old Bartow boy died Tuesday morning after a crash.
It happened around 6:50 a.m. at U.S. 98 and Wallace Road in Lakeland.
According to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, a car and a pickup truck were both going north on U.S. 98 when witnesses said the car's driver began drifting back-and-forth across the northbound lanes. The left front portion of the car hit the right rear end of the pickup truck, causing the truck to roll several times.
The child was ejected from the pickup truck and suffered a head injury. He was taken to Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center, where he died.
Deputies identified the child who died as Liam Earley. The other two people in the car were not seriously hurt, investigators said.
According to law enforcement, the 38-year-old Lakeland man who was driving the car that was drifting back and forth said he had fallen asleep at the wheel. He did not suffer any major injuries.
Deputies have launched an investigation and say charges are pending.
The northbound lanes of U.S. 98 were shut down for roughly four hours.
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