HARDEE COUNTY, Fla. — A mother lost her unborn child and is fighting for her life after a vehicle drove off the road striking her and her two children, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
FHP says that Josefina Pablo Aguirre, 26, was walking on the side of the road next to her two children, ages 6 and 8, who were biking when a vehicle ran off the roadway, striking them.
Troopers say Jose Manuel Montes-Loredo, 31, was driving northbound on Old Bradenton Road around 6:45 a.m. Monday morning when he ran off the roadway to the right, onto the grass shoulder, striking the three pedestrians.
FHP says that Aguirre was eight months pregnant. She is currently in critical condition at Tampa General Hospital. Her unborn child did not survive. The 6-year-old boy was also seriously injured in the crash. The 8-year-old girl was not injured.
"Drivers must be responsible at all times which means being focused and aware of your surroundings," Lt. Gregory S. Bueno said in a press release. "At any time there may be children, a mom or bicyclist in the area of the road. It takes only a second of carelessness for a tragedy to occur."
Montes-Loredo has been arrested for driving without a driver’s license involving a death and was transported to the Hardee County Jail.
