A 17-year-old boy was killed, and seven other teens were hospitalized, after a tire blowout caused their SUV to roll over the median on Interstate 4 in Orange County early Sunday morning.
A Chevrolet Trailblazer was heading westbound on I-4, near mile marker 66, at around 3:30 a.m. on Sunday, April 19, when the SUV’s right rear tire blew out, according to a report from the Florida Highway Patrol.
The SUV proceeded to overturn several times onto the left shoulder before coming to a final rest on the median guardrail.
During the crash, one of the SUV’s passengers – identified in the report as a 17-year-old boy – was ejected onto the eastbound center lane of the interstate, where he was struck by a Lexus CT that was traveling in the same lane.
The ejected passenger was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced deceased.
The SUV’s remaining occupants, ranging in age from 16 to 19, were hospitalized for treatment of their serious injuries.
The driver and passenger of the Lexus were not hurt and remained at the scene of the accident.
“This crash remains under investigation,” noted an FHP trooper in the report.