A car crashed into a daycare in Pine Hills on Thursday afternoon, sending three children and two adults to area hospitals, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. The crash happened around 2:58 p.m. at 1211 N. Pine Hills Road, the address of Tattle Tales Learning Center.
According to WESH, the vehicle involved was a 2003 Honda CR-V that had been traveling southbound in the outside lane of Pine Hills Road, approaching Elinore Drive, when it ran off the roadway to the left. The car then crossed the median and the northbound lanes before slamming into the daycare building, the outlet reported. Florida Highway Patrol had initially said five juveniles were hospitalized, but that figure was later corrected to three, per the same report.
Driver's Age Disputed Across Reports
Conflicting details have emerged about the man behind the wheel. WFTV reported that FHP identified the driver as a 79-year-old Orlando man, while Fox 35 Orlando described the driver as a 71-year-old man. The discrepancy has not been resolved, and Hoodline is presenting both versions as reported.
Accounts of the children's and adults' conditions also diverge. WFTV reported that three children and two adults were in good condition, while Fox 35 Orlando reported that the full extent of the injuries remained unclear, adding that the cause of the crash was also unknown at the time.
Building Damage, Road Closures, and an Open Investigation
Orange County Fire Rescue said the daycare building sustained structural damage and requested a building department inspection, the station's report noted. Both directions of Pine Hills Road were shut down following the crash, according to Yahoo News, which also reported that FHP had not determined why the driver left the roadway and that the crash remained under investigation.
Thursday's crash echoes another harrowing scene in Orange County roughly a year earlier, when a rear-end collision sent one vehicle off the road and into a tree, according to Spectrum News 13. That crash left nine children, ranging in age from 3 to 14, and two adults needing hospital treatment, with Orlando Fire transporting the kids to Arnold Palmer Hospital and the adults to Orlando Regional Medical Center. By the next morning, four of those children had been discharged, five remained hospitalized, and one adult was still at ORMC, per the same report.
No information has been released about citations, arrests, or other enforcement action tied to Thursday's crash, and occupancy of the daycare building had been denied because of the extent of the damage. Hoodline will update this story as more verified details become available.
