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PLANT CITY - A 4-year-old passenger from Orlando was killed in an accident Friday when he was thrown from a car on Interstate 4.
Adrian Brathwaite was riding in the car with his mother and grandmother and was not restrained with a seat belt or car seat, Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Larry Coggins said.
The family was westbound on I-4 near Branch Forbes Road about 4:10 p.m. when the tread separated on the right-rear tire. The car, a 1989 Toyota Corolla, spun into the median and overturned. Adrian was ejected, Coggins said.
Adrian was taken to Lakeland Regional Medical Center, where he died shortly after 5 p.m.Coggins said troopers were investigating. No charges had been filed Friday night.
We were driving on I-4 when this accident happened. We came upon the crash moments after it happened. There were a lot of people stopped to help. I will never forget seeing the horrible aftermath of this accident. I feel deeply sorry for the mother, but I can’t understand why this child was not in a car seat. I am sure she will regret that choice for the rest of her life. If people who choose not to buckle up their child could see what I saw, they would never let their child ride in a car without being properly restrained again.
One poster wrote, “Why should someone go to jail for failing to properly secure their own child?” They should go to jail for that because what they did is against the law, plain and simple. Yes, they are already paying dearly having lost their child, but they also broke the law. They were lazy by not putting a seat belt on the child, let alone not having the child in a booster seat at that age. That is illegal, a crime was committed, therefore, they should be sentenced with the appropriate penalty under the law. Period, end of story.
God bless the poor child who is in heaven as a result of lazy adults. And I say this as a parent of a four year old myself. There is simply no excuse for not having the child in a child restraint.
What idiots! Not only should jail be involved as this was no different than leaving a child alone with a gun, she should be sterilized! Why on earth should she be trusted with the life of another child?
My 24 y/o daughter and I were in an accident last Wed 8 pm, on SR 70, 20 miles w of Arcadia. Swerved to avoid hitting a HUGE deer. 60 mph.The 2006 Focus went out of control, hit a culvert, blew a front tire,spun around then impacted backwards against a tree. Car totalled.We both walked away, not without severe bruises, neck and back pain. I shudder to think if we’d have had her 5 year old daughter with us, even in her car seat.I can’t imagine losing my grandaughter. Thanks go to the young woman who called 911. Thanks go to Trooper J.A. Spencer for his kind and professional demeanor.Thank you, also to the EMT’s who took my daughter to Lake Placid hospital.And to my dear sister who drove from Bradenton, picked me up, and then to Lake Placid hospital.
Still pondering the events of the day.
I post all this to say - we have to do all within our power for safety’s sake. There are no excuses for not taking the necessary precautions.
A child should always be in a car seat unless he or she does not need to be in one appointed by the law. Although I know the family is in grief, I blame the parent for the child’s death. The child cannot decide what is wrong from right, so the parent needed to decide if the child needed to be in a car seat: and by God the child needed to be safe! God be with the child!
Inexcusable. Unconscionable. The mother and grandmother should both go to prison.
While it is understandable that people will scrutinize those who fail to properly care for their children...an unbelievable act...we must also remember that they will forever grieve the loss of their child. Being mean and hateful is cruel and inhumane. Why should someone go to jail for failing to properly secure their own child..they will live with their fault for the rest of their life..at every birthday, holiday....May God Rest this Child’s Soul....
What kind of idiots allow their children to ride in a car without restraining them in a car seat. Good G-d Almighty. Those are not parents, those are merely sperm donors and incubators. I know they will grieve forever for their child, but he might have lived if they would have done their duty. I agree with the one poster on here who said there should be ZERO tolerance for this on the part of highway patrol. I see it on the roads all the time. I’ve seen people treat and care for their animals better than some treat their own children. So what if the kid doesn’t want to be buckled or in a car seat. If a kid grows up using car seats, it’s not an issue.
Whomever was driving needs to go immediately to jail. This poor innocent child suffered because of the negligence of a sloppy person who chose to drive while a child was not secure. This is a tragedy that could have been avoided and the person responsible should serve jail time.
It’s very sad that in this day and age, there are still careless parents that don’t use carseats or seatbelts to restrain their children. I know this woman lost her child and a lot of people will argue that this is punishment enough, but it is not. I hope she is charged with Vehiclular Manslaughter and that will teach other to be more carefull with their precious baboes.
WOW. People need to actually read an article before posting a comment. It was a boy that died and he was not wearing a seatbelt!!
Sorry for the loss of your son.
My heart goes out to the parents who lost their child, I too lost my 16 year old son in a car accident this past april, he was my only child. Be strong and know he is safe and not in any pain. my deepet prayers are with you now and forever.
I am so sorry on for your little girl. She is with the angels right now. She is protecting you. I lost my sweet 17 year old son 2 and half weeks ago in a car accident. Sometimes I don’t want to go on, but he is giving me the strength I need to be strong for his brother and sister and I know he is protecting us. My most deepest sympathy. To Jason.. please do not right comments that are just plain hurtful us. There is a time and place for your agenda. What we need is comfort.
Let’s just pray this dear child was strapped into a seatbelt. All to often, I see children sitting on their parents lap with no regard for their childrens safety.
Often times I feel like rolling the window and asking if they want to see their children graduate/ experience another birthday........
If I was in law enforcement, I would have ZERO tolerance for such behavior.
As a father of a two year old, I can only begin to imagine the feelings of the mother. My heart sympathizes with her tonight.
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Posted by anita stokes, tampa, florida on 01/01 at 08:34 PM
It is a shame for all of you who stated that these women need to go to jail. THAT IS RIDICULOUS!!! There have been occassions where the person was strapped in a seat belt/car seat and still sustained injuries or even death. I had a friend lose her grandmother and uncle some years due to a single car accident and everyone in the car had on seat belts. So even if he was in a seat belt/car seat he still may have died. My prayers go out to the family and the families that recently lost their love one that posted their chats.