LAKELAND, Fla. — A mother and her two children were taken to local hospitals with critical injuries following a crash Sunday night in Lakeland.
According to the Lakeland Police Department, officers responded to a crash around 8:55 p.m. near Socrum Loop and Fernery roads.
Just before the crash, a 1996 Ford Explorer was driving southbound on the road when three people, one adult and two children, reportedly darted into the roadway in the path of the SUV, the department said in a news release.
The 20-year-old driver of the Ford Explorer tried to brake to avoid a crash but ended up hitting all three, the police department explains.
Once crews from the Lakeland Police Department Patrol Unit, Polk County Fire Rescue and the Lakeland Fire Department arrived on the scene, they began providing life-saving measures to the 36-year-old woman and the two children, ages 10 and 8.
All three were left with critical injuries following the crash. The mother was taken to Lakeland Regional Health while the children were taken to Tampa General Hospital by helicopter.
As of Monday morning, there are no other updates on their conditions.
The roadway was shut down for approximately three hours for an investigation. Detectives say speed and impairment don't seem to be a factor in the crash.
The 20-year-old driver wasn't injured, police said.
There's an ongoing investigation into the crash. Anyone with information can contact investigating Officer Tyler Anderson at Tyler.Anderson@Lakelandgov.net.