Toddler and infant killed when driver hits family and speeds away, Florida cops say
The driver sped away and remains at large, the Sarasota Police Department said in a Feb. 11 news release. Identities of the victims have not been released, and the driver has not yet been identified.
It happened around 8:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 10, as the family crossed the southbound lanes of U.S. 301 near 7th Street in Sarasota. The highway is five-lanes and lined with businesses, maps show.
'The victims of the crash, a 29-year-old woman, a 2-year-old, and a 5-month-old, were transported to area hospitals under trauma alerts. The two children have died as a result of their injuries and the woman remains in critical condition,' police said.
Witnesses reported the driver continued southbound, made a U-turn then vanished eastbound on 7th Street, police said. The car is described as a white Lexus ES 300 (2013 to 2018 models) 'with damage to the right front quarter panel and windshield,' police said.
Sarasota Police Chief Rex Troche posted a video on social media reporting the mother is 'fighting for her life.'
'We are searching the area for any cameras, any type of security systems,' he said in the video.
'We're looking for everybody in the community to help us out with this. ... We want to bring closure to this and we want to make sure that person is put behind bars where they belong. They didn't stop and help that family.'
Sarasota is about a 60-mile drive south from Tampa.
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