6 killed, including 4 children, after being ejected from car in crash on Tennessee highway
A car crash on Interstate 24 in Tennessee killed six people, including four children, and injured two other adults, officials said.
In the early hours of Sunday morning, emergency personnel responded to a car accident on I-24 West near mile marker 23 that resulted in a car being flipped upside down, causing "very extensive damage," Robertson County Emergency Medical Services said Sunday in a statement.
Emergency personnel pronounced six women and girls dead at the scene. All of the people who were killed were found outside of the flipped vehicle after apparently being ejected in the accident, officials said. According to the Tennessee Highway Patrol, none of the people who were ejected from the vehicle had been wearing seatbelts.
On Monday, THP identified two of the victims as Tania Rodriguez, 21, and Rina Reyes, 35. The other four victims were listed as a 1-year-old, a 3-year-old, a 5-year-old and a 12-year-old. Rodriguez was identified as the driver of the car.
Another woman, identified as 34-year-old Saira Reyes, was injured and found in critical condition. Investigators believe she was also ejected from the vehicle. She was treated at the scene before being air-lifted to a local hospital, officials said.
A male passenger, identified by THP as 18-year-old Anthony Gellardo, was in stable condition with minor injuries, officials said. He was taken to a local hospital by ambulance, RCEMS said.
RCEMS initially said Sunday night that it believed the victims "appeared to have ranged from 1-18 yrs of age."
Emergency personnel also responded to the driver of another car, identified by THP as Matthew Flint, 23. RCEMS said he, "had no complaints of injury and was ambulatory on scene."
The cause of the crash has not been released. THP on Monday said only that, "Both vehicles were traveling west on Interstate 24 near mile marker 23 when a crash occurred between the two."
"Our office recognizes the incredible difficulty of this scene," RCEMS said Sunday night. "Please keep the families and persons involved in your thoughts and prayers."