Florida mom killed, three small children injured after truck collides with their van following tire blowout
Olivia Maggs, 32, was driving in the southbound lanes of I-95 by the Pineda Causeway in Brevard County on Monday afternoon when a tire blew out on an F-350, according to FOX 35 Orlando via Florida Highway Patrol.
The blowout caused the driver of the truck, which was traveling in the center lane, to lose control and collide with Maggs' Honda Odyssey van, the outlet reported. Both vehicles went off the road and struck a guardrail.
Maggs was pronounced dead at the scene, while her three children – an infant girl and two toddler boys – were airlifted to Arnold Palmer Children's Hospital, according to a GoFundMe set up by Maggs' sister-in-law.
"By the grace of God, kind strangers stopped to help and pulled the children from the vehicle," she wrote, adding that the baby girl had a broken femur and a brain bleed. The two boys were also hurt, but "they are okay," she said.
The 58-year-old truck driver and his 20-year-old passenger were not injured and remained at the scene of the crash, FOX 35 reported.
Maggs was a "dedicated" and "beloved" nurse at Parrish Medical Center, the health system wrote on Facebook in a post mourning her death. She worked at the hospital for nine years and began in the Medical-Surgical Department as a graduate nurse before transferring to the Women's Center.
"Olivia's kindness, strength and gentle spirit left a lasting impact on her patients, fellow Care Partners and everyone fortunate enough to know her. Our hearts are with her family, friends and children during this unimaginable time. We are grieving alongside them and will forever carry her memory in our hearts," the post stated.
Hundreds of comments were left on the post, with dozens of women sharing their positive experiences with Maggs as a nurse and as a friend.
"You never forget the name and face of someone who made such a lasting impression on you. For all three of my children's births at Parrish Olivia was one of the most encouraging and supportive nurses. She guided me through strapping my firstborn in his car seat as we had never done it before and I was so anxious. My heart is with her family and all who mourn her," one woman wrote.
More than $126,000 had been donated to the GoFundMe account as of early Wednesday morning.
"Olivia was a kind, beautiful soul—a loving and gentle mother, devoted wife, and cherished daughter, sister, friend, and compassionate nurse. Her absence leaves a deep void in the hearts of all who knew and loved her," the GoFundMe reads.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Miami Herald
41 minutes ago
- Miami Herald
Aetna, AvMed fought to run Miami-Dade County employee health care plan. Who won?
Miami-Dade's more than 31,000 county employees are on track for a new insurance provider after Aetna ousted longtime administrator AvMed in a County Commission vote on Wednesday. The planned change would bring the county a new insurance administrator for the first time since George W. Bush was president and raises the stakes for Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, who recommended the switch as a way to save money during a budget crunch. Aetna, a national insurance company owned by the CVS pharmacy chain, claims its national purchasing power produces the kind of discounts that can save Miami-Dade about $40 million a year over rates offered by AvMed, a Florida-based provider with headquarters in Doral. 'We're going to try and reduce the cost curve,' said Carladenise Edwards, chief administrative officer under Levine Cava. 'As we do that, the county will save money over time.' While Miami-Dade commissioners approved the switch in a 7-to-2 vote, AvMed already has a legal challenge that could stall or overturn the decision. As commissioners initially prepared to decide the contract in a last-minute vote last month, AvMed sued, with claims that the Levine Cava administration violated bidding rules in how it recommended awarding the contract to Aetna — allegations the county denies. That vote got delayed, prompting a rare special meeting on Wednesday dedicated solely to the proposed Aetna contract recommended by the mayor. Voting against the switch were Commissioners Roberto Gonzalez and Danielle Cohen Higgins. Commissioners Marleine Bastien, Juan Carlos Bermudez and Eileen Higgins did not attend the meeting. Barring a judge's intervention, the commission vote sets up a scramble to replace the insurance administrator for one of South Florida's largest workforces just weeks ahead of the open-enrollment session that typically begins in late October. AvMed first won the county health care contract in 2007. Like most large governments, Miami-Dade pays for its own employee health care costs and hires an insurance company to administer the billing and reimbursement process for about $600 million in claims per year. The administrator earns a yearly fee for the work — Aetna charges $15 million and AvMed, $10 million — but the county's main costs come from the reimbursement rates negotiated by the administrator for prescriptions, medical procedures and hospitalizations. Two consultants hired by Miami-Dade concluded the Aetna rates would save Miami-Dade about $40 million when compared to AvMed's rates — math AvMed disputed as flawed. Commissioner Oliver Gilbert, who sponsored the legislation approving the Aetna contract, said it made no sense for board members to try and reach their own conclusions in the complex field of actuarial methods, repriced health care claims and shared savings in self-funded insurance plans. 'I'm left with the people we pay to analyze that,' Gilbert said as the meeting neared its third hour and Cohen Higgins and Gonzalez pressed the administration on the competing numbers. 'This is theater at this point.' Cohen Higgins said the board lacked the information and explanations needed to justify a major switch in the county's health care landscape on a shortened timetable. 'I need more,' she said. Levine Cava did not attend the meeting. In the sharpest words of the day, Gonzalez blamed what he called a flawed rollout by Levine Cava last month for causing anxiety among county workers about the proposed Aetna switch. 'I don't trust the mayor — and I want to trust the mayor,' Gonzalez said. Namita Uppal, the county's procurement director and top negotiator on the health care contract, emphasized insurance fees won't change for county employees or the retirees that continue receiving coverage from Miami-Dade. She also said Aetna was already helping answer employees' questions about the potential switch and whether existing AvMed providers will be covered under Aetna. 'I haven't found an example where Aetna came back and said: 'It's not covered,'' she said.
Washington Post
42 minutes ago
- Washington Post
Prosecutors clear Florida deputy in arrest of a Black man punched and dragged from his car
Prosecutors will take 'no further action' against a Florida sheriff's deputy in the arrest of a Black college student pulled from his car and beaten by officers during a February traffic stop. The actions of Officer D. Bowers of the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office did not constitute a crime, according to an investigative report released by the State Attorney's Office for the Fourth Judicial Circuit of Florida.
CBS News
42 minutes ago
- CBS News
Suspects wanted in Hialeah man's murder may have infant son with them, MDSO says
Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office investigators are searching for a couple wanted in connection with the murder of a Hialeah man earlier this month and for the couple's 5-month-old son, who they believe is with them. Investigators said the baby may be in danger. "Our concern is for the baby's safety. It is already difficult to deal with a 5-month-old, and now we have people who are fugitives, who are fleeing from law enforcement and they have this 5-month-old baby with them," MDSO detective Samantha Choon said. According to the sheriff's office, Alfredo Carballo Gonzalez, 32, and Ariely Alvarez Cabrera, 27, are wanted in the killing of Daylon Fleitas, 37. Sheriff's investigators believe Fleitas was murdered on Sunday, Aug. 3. A day later, he was reported missing to Hialeah police. At the time, investigators said Fleitas—who was last seen on Sunday—had indicated he would be meeting with an acquaintance but never returned home and had not been seen or heard from since. The sheriff's office has not said how Fleitas died or where his body was found. They have asked for the public's help in finding Gonzalez and Cabrera, who are "considered armed and dangerous." "If you are harboring these fugitives, you may face penalties. You can be charged, you can be arrested. So we're asking that if they see this, turn yourself in," Choon said. CBS News Miami spoke with the victim's mother, Carmen. She said, "I don't have the words. What can I tell you. I am waiting to hear the answers. How did it happen? He knew them. They were good friends. I don't know what happened. They took a piece of my heart. He was a young man who was full of life. He got along with everyone. He was the best for me." CBS News Miami also spoke exclusively with Caden Booth, an employee at an O'Reilly Auto Parts store in Hialeah, who told investigators that Alfredo Gonzalez came into his store on Sunday, Aug. 3 - the same day of the murder. "I believe he came in on 8-3-25 at 3:30 to 4 o'clock. The guy came in and looked around and bought some microfiber towels. That is all he did. He came in and left. They are used for wax removal. That is what I told the detectives," Booth said. "It is upsetting, especially in our community, especially as many people are walking around our shopping center. It's sad to see this and I really hope they bring him to justice," he said. Anyone with information on their whereabouts is urged to call the sheriff's homicide bureau at (305) 471-2400 or Crime Stoppers at (305) 471-TIPS (8477).
