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SUV crashes into parked semi in Polk City, 8-year-old passenger dead

Posted at 9:01 AM, Jul 15, 2016
and last updated 2016-07-15 09:01:28-04

The Polk County Sheriff's Office is investigating a single car crash that claimed the life of an 8-year-old boy in Polk City. 

Deputies say around 9:50 p.m. on Thursday night, Pedro Moncada, 54, of Polk City, was traveling southbound on SR 33 (Commonwealth Avenue) with his son in the front passenger seat of his 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe, when the small SUV left the roadway and slammed into a parked and unoccupied 2014 Freightliner semi tractor-trailer. 

The semi was parked in the grass approximately four feet off the roadway on the west side of the road. Deputies say there were no signs of the SUV braking as it rear-ended the trailer portion of the semi. 

The 8-year-old boy was killed in the crash and Moncada was transported to Lakeland Regional Medical Center with minor injuries. 

Both Moncada and his son were wearing seatbelts and both airbags did deploy at the time of the crash. 

Deputies say they interviewed Moncada at the hospital and it appears he may have nodded off while driving which caused him to lose control of the vehicle and crash into the parked semi. 

It is unknown if any intoxicants were involved, but deputies say he was completely cooperative with the investigation and his blood will be analyzed.