A father is facing aggravated manslaughter charges for the deaths of his 2-year-old and 5-year-old children, who were killed after the dirt bike that he was operating was struck by a pickup truck in Sanford.
On Tuesday, 35-year-old Randy Jerome Cambridge was taken into custody in Volusia County in connection with the fatal accident that claimed the lives of his two young children on February 24, 2023.
On that night, Sanford Police Department officers were called to the 1700 block of Historic Goldsboro Boulevard after receiving reports of a vehicle crash.
Two children were killed after the unregistered dirt bike they were riding on with their father was struck by a pickup truck. Upon arrival, officers located two young children and an adult man, later identified as Cambridge, in life-threatening condition.
According to police, Cambridge and the children were riding an unregistered dirt bike westbound on Historic Goldsboro Boulevard when a Ford F-150 that was traveling eastbound attempted to turn left onto Mulberry Avenue.
The pickup truck struck the dirt bike, causing all three individuals to be ejected. Cambridge and his two children were transported to local hospitals, where the children died as a result of their injuries.
In the days after the accident, Sanford police indicated that criminal charges were pending, citing that the dirt bike was not street-legal, had no headlight, and was reported to be traveling at a high rate of speed at the time of the crash. Neither Cambridge nor his two children were wearing helmets.
“There is absolutely no reason that this should have occurred this evening. Tragic and completely avoidable doesn’t begin to describe the loss of these two young lives,” said Sanford Police Department Chief Cecil Smith in the aftermath of the accident. “Those children should never have been on that dirt bike, and that dirt bike should never have been on the road. Those little ones should have been home getting ready to be tucked into bed, not speeding down the road in the dark. It is always the parent’s responsibility to protect the tender lives of their children.”
Anyone with information pertaining to this crime is asked to contact the Sanford Police Department at 407-688-5070 or the Central Florida Crimeline at 800 423-8477.