ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – On Sunday, the Florida Highway Patrol said a stolen SUV carrying six teenagers struck and killed a man near a busy intersection in Orange County.
Investigators said the crash happened on Dean Road, just off State Road 408, around 4:30 am.
As Channel 9 worked to gather more details at the scene, our crew met the mother of a different person who died in a crash in the same area last year.
Patricia Ortega said her son was disembowelled and died 14 months ago, and the circumstances of Sunday’s accident are similar to her story.
In February 2022, a car had veered off Dean Road and hit his 21-year-old son Christopher on his motorcycle.
Read: 1 Dead, 6 Injured After Teen Driving Stolen Car Runs Red in Orange County
Now, he stopped to clean his son’s place, and the roadside memorial is a place of comfort and peace for Ortega.
“This is where I know his last place was, and it makes me feel a little close to him,” she said.
Ortega said he wasn’t surprised another fatal accident happened in the area, but the timing is shocking.
“It plays different,” he said. “It’s different because no one should ever lose anyone.”
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Investigators said a Toyota 4Runner was traveling east from the State Road 408 exit ramps and turning left onto Dean Road on a green light.
At the same time, a 15-year-old Orlando boy was driving a stolen Hyundai Santa Fe south on Dean Road, ran a red light and crashed into the Toyota.
The 23-year-old driver of the Toyota died, and all the teenagers were taken to hospital, including a 16-year-old boy, a 15-year-old girl, a 14-year-old girl, a 13-year-old girl and a 13 years
Read: Deputies search for hit-and-run driver after bicyclist dies in crash in Polk County
And while our crew was reporting to the scene of the accident, they witnessed another crash at the intersection, with damaged car parts in the road.
Ortega said that the stretch of road is no stranger to accidents, and he worries that if nothing changes, more families will end up in his situation.
“I feel like they need to do something, whether it’s with these cameras or more restrictions (or) more lights,” he said.
Read: FHP: 78-year-old Orlando man killed in early morning crash in Orange County
Channel 9 is still working to learn the identities of the victims and has asked the Orange County Sheriff’s Office for more information about the stolen car.
Deputies said they have been in contact with the owner but have not shared any other details.
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