Nine members of a family, including several young children, were killed Monday when a packed SUV went off a road, struck a guardrail and landed upside down in a canal in South Florida, authorities said.
Only one passenger survived the fatal accident and was hospitalized in serious condition.
“I’ve been in the fire department for 20 years and this is one of the most difficult scenes I’ve been through,” said Palm Beach County Fire Rescue Captain Tom Reyes.
The tragedy occurred around 7:30 p.m. when four adults and six children from out of state were traveling through Belle Glade and approaching a sharp left curve. This was announced by the Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office.
Police said the driver, Pamela Wiggins, who would have celebrated her 57th birthday on Tuesday, was unable to negotiate a curve for “unknown reasons” and went off the road.
The SUV struck a guardrail, flipped over and fell into the water, submerged so that only the wheels were visible, Reyes said.
Four victims were pronounced dead at the scene and the other five died at a hospital, police said.
The six children killed were: 1-year-old Naleia Tucker, 3-year-old Ziaia Mack, 5-year-olds Yasire Smith and Kamdeen Edwards, 8-year-old Imani Andre Ajani Hall, and 14-year-old Michael Anthony Hall Jr.
Also killed were Rayanna Alice Hall, 30, Anya Monique Lee Tucker, 21, and Wiggins.
Jorden Rickie Hall, 26, is the sole survivor of the tragedy and remains in critical condition.
Grieving relatives said the family, originally from Bridgeport, Connecticut, and Chesapeake, Virginia, had been visiting Florida for a family birthday party.
The accident happened on the last day of the trip, and Antianette Edwards lost her son, Camdeen. He told WPBF.
“They were heading to the airport to go back to Connecticut,” Antianetto said.
According to the Ford dealership website, the family was driving a 2023 Ford Explorer, which seats up to seven people.
Police said none of the passengers in the overloaded vehicle were wearing seat belts at the time of the accident.
Police are investigating the cause of the accident.
Belle Glade is a farming community located just south of Lake Okeechobee and about 45 miles west of West Palm Beach.
With post wire
