A four-year-old girl from Florida died after a vehicle crashed into the playground of the preschool where she and another child were playing.
A Jeep Cherokee driven by a woman from 13 years old ran off a DeSoto County road, went through a chain-link fence and collided with minors on the playground at Imagination Station Learning Center in Arcadia. The vehicle stopped when it hit a tree, reveals a report from the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) sent to People.
The minor who died in this incident was identified as Maleena Valdez, 4 years, by the local media and a GoFundMe campaign.
Following the accident, Valdez was taken to Gulf Coast Hospital, where she later died, authorities said.
According to FHP, the other minor was taken to DeSoto Memorial Hospital and his condition is reported as serious.
The driver of the vehicle, identified as Tampa resident Kiara Morant, was placed under arrest for not having a valid driver’s license and booked into the DeSoto County Jail.
Police told WTVT that Morant was released from jail before Valdez died and could now face additional charges.
The accident is still under investigation.
Until the afternoon of Thu eves, the donation page created to help Valdez’s family pay for his funeral had raised more than $6,.
“She was the light of our lives and will be missed by all who loved her desperately“, one part of the page reads.
“Maleena was so innocent and pure-hearted! She still had so much life left to live!”
“Please continue to pray for Maleena’s mother, Savannah, Father Miguel, Sister Jazziah and the rest of the family and friends, and that they be do justice in this unspeakable tragedy”, reads the GoFundMe page dedicated to the minor.
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