Six people died Sunday in a head-on collision on Florida’s Turnpike that might have been caused by a blown tire, officials said.
The incident began when the driver of a Toyota heading north lost control of the vehicle, which crossed the median into southbound traffic about 20 miles west of Vero Beach, Florida Highway Patrol Lt. Pat Santangelo said. The car then rammed head-on into a Honda.
The Honda sideswiped another southbound vehicle, causing the third car to cross the median into northbound lanes. No one in the third vehicle was injured.
All three people in the Toyota died and three of the four people in the Honda died, including a 7-month-old child, Santangelo said. One woman in the Honda survived with a broken leg, he said.
The victims were not immediately identified.
Investigators found the left rear tire of the Toyota was punctured, which might have caused the driver to lose control, Santangelo said. “We’re looking at all possibilities but it’s pointing that way right now,” he said.
Vero Beach is 67 miles north of West Palm Beach.