A driver is dead, and a 2-year-old boy and his mother are in the hospital following a single-car crash east of Lake Wales on Friday, officials said.
The crash happened just before 1 p.m. on State Road 60 near Tiger Lake Road, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies said Connor Houston Strickland, 21, of Fort Pierce, and his family were traveling westbound in a Toyota Camry.
For reasons not yet known, Strickland lost control of the vehicle and it rolled into a ditch on the south side of State Road 60, according to authorities.
Officials said Strickland and his girlfriend, Alexandria Janae McConnell, 26, of Auburndale, were not wearing seatbelts and were thrown from the car.
Their 2-year-old son was secured in a child seat. First responders said they found the child still secured in the back seat when they arrived at the crash site.
A dog was also found in the car and taken to Polk County Animal Control.
Deputies said Strickland died at the scene. McConnell and her child were taken to two different hospitals.
Both sides of State Road 60 were closed while first responders were on scene.
Authorities said they determined the Toyota was traveling at 74 mph in a 60 mph zone seconds before the crash. The investigation remained ongoing on Friday.