6 Children Injured In Crash On I-75; Driver Killed

APOLLO BEACH, FL - Six children were taken to a Tampa hospital with injuries Sunday morning when a tire on an SUV blew out, causing a crash on southbound I-75 near Apollo Beach in Hillsborough County, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. A 28-year-old Brandon woman, the driver of the SUV, was killed in the crash, FHP reported.

The SUV driver was identified as Jessica Guevara, who lost control of a 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee at 7:52 a.m. south of Big Bend Road and died at the scene, according to a FHP report. The Jeep's left rear tire blew out and she was ejected from the vehicle. The SUV left the roadway and overturned. The six children are between the ages of 1 and 11. Four were ejected from the vehicle.

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The southbound lanes of I-75 were closed for several hours Sunday after the crash.

Two passengers, a 1-year-old boy from Brandon and a 9-year-old girl from Wimauma, have critical injuries, the FHP said. The four other passengers sustained minor injuries.

The children were identified as: Daviyon Regino, 1, of Brandon and Ulitza Trujillo, 9, of Wimauma, both listed in critical condition; Daliza Regino, 2, of Brandon, Kiyana McBride, 7, of Brandon, Yeneli Trujillo, 10, of Wimauma and Lila Trujillo, 11, of Wimauma, all suffered minor injuries.

Guevara was not wearing a seat belt, the FHP report said. The 1-year-old and the 10-year-old were using child restraints but not the other four children. The injured children were transported to Tampa General Hospital.

Image via Florida Highway Patrol.