A Florida woman led law enforcement on a chase that started in Georgia and ended in a crash that killed an 11-year-old girl and badly hurt four other children on Interstate 75, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
Investigators said the 30-year-old woman from Riviera Beach was driving a BMW SUV with six passengers ranging in age from 5 months old to 33 years old.
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Before the crash Tuesday night, troopers said the woman was heading south on I-75 in Georgia, trying to get away from a Lowndes County deputy.
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After crossing over into Florida, the woman tried to avoid an attempt by law enforcement to puncture her tires which caused her to slam into a Toyota RAV4.
Troopers said the BMW also crashed into the Georgia deputy’s Dodge Charger after hitting the RAV4.
After the second collision, the BMW rolled, throwing the 11-year-old girl out of the vehicle, according to FHP. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Troopers said the RAV4 wound up on the shoulder of the road and burst into flames. The driver and passenger of the RAV4 — a 63-year-old man and an 11-year-old boy from Atlanta — were taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
Three passengers in the BMW — including a 5-month-old boy, a 14-year-old girl and a 15-year-old girl — all suffered serious injuries. A second 5-month-old boy was critically injured and a 33-year-old woman suffered minor injuries. They were all transported to hospitals. All of the occupants were from Riviera Beach, troopers said.
The Lowndes County deputy, a 56-year-old Valdosta man, suffered minor injuries, according to the report.
The driver of the BMW was arrested by deputies from Lowndes County, but the report did not state what charges she faces.
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