5-year-old girl dies after car accident with Florida police truck responding to emergency call
A 5-year-old girl died Saturday night after a car accident with a Florida police truck.
The police truck was responding to an emergency call when the car carrying the child pulled out into an intersection and collided with the police vehicle, according to a press release by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.
The release states that both drivers were wearing their seatbelts, but the girl's seatbelt usage has yet to be determined. While the incident remains under investigation, no criminal charges are anticipated.
The girl was pronounced dead at the hospital, the driver of the car was treated for a broken wrist, and the deputy driving the police truck was not injured, according to officials.
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Kia driver pulled into intersection while other traffic waited
A deputy with the Auburndale Police Department was driving a marked Chevrolet Silverado pickup while responding to an emergency, according to officials. Early traffic homicide investigations show that the officer was driving with lights and sirens while approaching an intersection in Auburndale, between Tampa and Orlando.
The driver of a Kia sedan was waiting at a traffic light in the intersection as the officer approached, the release states. Police say that witness accounts indicate other cars continued to wait at the light when it turned green to allow the police car to pass. The driver told investigators that she heard the sirens, but proceeded into the intersection because she saw the car next to her was driving forward.
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5-year-old girl who died in accident loved her siblings
Family of Jalina Anglin, the 5-year-old who died in the crash, told Fox 13 that the girl had three younger siblings who she loved spending time with. She had just spent Thanksgiving off from school with her father, according to Fox 13
Jalina's mother, who requested not to be contacted, posted on Facebook that Jalina was excited for her SpongeBob party for her 6th birthday in January.
"I’m blessed for the 5 years I had with you. My girl, my heart I will forever love you," one post by Jalina's mom reads. "Visit me in my dreams. If I could trade my life with you I would."