ORLANDO, Fla. — Four children were sitting around a table having snack time Thursday afternoon when a car suddenly crashed through the wall of their Pine Hills day care, injuring three of them.
“I just heard the big loud boom,” said Akeyya Luckett, who was nearby when the crash happened.
The crash happened around 3 p.m. at Tattle Tales Learning Center on North Pine Hills Road.
“I felt every parent’s pain, worry in that exact moment to seeing your child somewhere where it’s supposed to be safe and for something like that to happen to them. That was really heartbreaking,” Luckett said.
Another witness, Ana Pablo, also heard the crash and heard the panic from the children.
“When I went out, I heard the children say, ‘We want help! Help!’” Pablo said.
According to Orange County Fire Rescue, 14 people were inside the day care when the vehicle crashed through the front wall and into a room where four children and one adult were gathered.
Three 4-year-old children and two adults were injured.
“There were initial reports that one of the children was under the vehicle. That child was pulled out prior to our arrival and treated,” said Orange County Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Nichole Stratman
All five people injured in the crash were later reported to be in good condition.
The Florida Highway Patrol said a 79-year-old driver was traveling south on Pine Hills Road when the vehicle crossed the median, entered the northbound lanes, and crashed into the day care.
The driver was alone in the vehicle and was among those hospitalized. Florida Highway Patrol continues to investigate what caused Thursday’s crash.
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