HERNANDO COUNTY, Fla. — A 4-year-old girl was killed in a Hernando County crash on Saturday after the driver lost control of the car she was driving, authorities said.
The 47-year-old female driver of Lee, Florida was driving a Kia Optima southbound on State Road 589 at about 10 p.m. with her 7-year-old daughter and another 4-year-old girl. The 4-year-old girl was the daughter of the driver's ex-husband and his new wife, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
South of U.S. Highway 98, the woman lost control of the vehicle and it left roadway. It then struck a concrete culvert, became airborne, and overturned, patrol officials said.
The mother and the two girls suffered serious injuries and were taken to area hospitals.
The 4-year-old-girl was later pronounced dead.
A state report says hundreds of frail elderly nursing home residents were stacked side by side, head to toe in a small church with no working air conditioning or refrigerator during Hurricane Helene.