FHP: 5 kids, 1 adult from Philadelphia injured in I-75 crash after impaired driver stops in middle of lane
DADE CITY, Fla. - Six people visiting from Philadelphia – including a group of children as young as one and as old as 10 – were seriously injured after crashing into an impaired driver, troopers say.
The crash occurred in the southbound lanes of Interstate 75 at Joe Road in Dade City around 2:15 a.m. Monday. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, 26-year-old Ashley Clairmonte, was heading south on the highway in a 2015 Buick Encore.
Troopers described the Tampa woman as "impaired and tired" as she drove in the inside lane of I-75, and stopped. That's when the driver of a 2004 Chevy Tracker collided into the back of Clairmonte's vehicle. The Buick overturned, and the impact carried both vehicles into the outside lane.
Inside the Chevy, there were a total of six occupants, all from Philadelphia, troopers said. All were seriously injured. The driver was a 24-year-old woman, and her passengers were: a 1-year-old girl, a 6-year-old boy, a 6-year-old girl, an 8-year-old girl, and a 10-year-old girl. Troopers didn't specify their relationship with each other.
Clairmonte ran away from the scene but returned after troopers arrived, according to FHP. She was arrested for DUI with a serious injury and leaving the scene of a crash. Clairmonte was booked into Pasco County Jail.