Photo: Florida Highway Patrol
The Florida Highway Patrol said five children and one adult were hospitalized after a reckless driver crashed while “showing off” in Highlands County.
The crash happened on SW Rucks Dairy Road at around 1:30 p.m. on Saturday.
The driver, 19-year-old Robert Oyd Lee Vanegas, of Port St. Lucie, admitted to state troopers that he was “showing off,” when he lost control of the Ford Escape, FHP said.
Traveling at high speeds, the Ford flew off the roadway, crashed into a mailbox, overturned, and wound up partially submerged in a nearby canal.
Along with the driver was a 20-year-old woman and five children ages 2, 2, 5, 7, and 10.
The three youngest children and the 20-year-old were all hospitalized with minor injuries, and the 7-year-old boy was hospitalized with a serious injury, FHP said.
The 10-year-old girl, who was sitting in the rear hatchback, was also seriously injured and flown to a nearby hospital.
Vanegas was arrested on the scene and charged with driving without a license, reckless driving and child neglect resulting in serious injury.
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Source: wfla
