OCALA, FL (352today.com) – The Ocala Police Department (OPD) says a woman running a red light caused the crash that threw a 3-year-old from a car and landed the child in the hospital.
OPD says on Tuesday, Dec. 19, around 8:30 p.m., officers responded to a two-vehicle crash involving a red Acura and a gray Toyota.
They say the driver of the Acura, a 35-year-old woman, blew through a red light at the intersection of Highway 441 and NW 35th Street and t-boned the Scion. Police say the woman who ran the red light was also driving on a suspended license and the car was not currently registered.
Police say the driver of the Scion is a 24-year-old woman who had her 3-year-old daughter in the car. OPD says the impact of the crash caused the child to be thrown from the vehicle. Officers say she was taken to Shands hospital in Gainesville where she is in stable condition.
In a news release, police say, “There was a car seat in the vehicle, but the child was not restrained in the car seat.” It’s unclear from the wording of the statement whether police believe the child was in the car seat and not buckled in or whether the child was elsewhere in the car. Meanwhile on the police department’s Facebook posts, there are numerous comments from a woman who identifies herself as the three-year-old’s mother. She claims her daughter was restrained in a car seat in the backseat. We have reached out to OPD to get clarification and are awaiting a response. We have also tried to communicate directly with the woman who claims to be the child’s mother.
While no one has been charged at this time, OPD says the crash is still under investigation.
TRENDING: OFR crews responded to apartment fire started by candle, two pet birds rescued | PHOTOS
In its post, OPD urges everyone to pay attention while driving and to stop and red lights. “If you are driving with any small children in your vehicle, make sure you have them secured in a proper child safety seat,” said OPD.