9 killed when overloaded SUV flips into canal in Belle Glade
Nine people were killed and one person was seriously injured when the driver of an overloaded SUV lost control, hit a guardrail and went upside down into a canal in Belle Glade.
The 2023 Ford Explorer carrying 10 people was traveling south on Hatton Highway at about 7:30 p.m. Monday when it came to a part of the two-lane road that briefly jogs west before again heading south, the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office said.
When the road turned south, the female driver failed to take a left-hand curve. The SUV went off onto the shoulder, hit a guardrail and flipped into a canal that runs parallel to the road.
"We found one vehicle upside down in the canal and many people in the area and in the water. We had a total of 10 patients," said Capt. Tom Reyes from Palm Beach Fire Rescue.
Of the 10 people in the SUV, nine did not survive. Four were children — ages 1 through 5. Divers raced to the scene at about 7:30 Monday night.
"When we got here, we saw PBSO had some deputies in the water as well. We have dive teams in Belle Glade, we had divers in the water immediately to get people out to search the car, the area around it," Reyes said.
According to social media, a family came in from town to celebrate a birthday.
The Palm Beach Sheriff's Office told CBS News they do not believe the crash was related to flooding or the remnants of Tropical Storm Debby, which slammed into Florida Monday as a Category 1 hurricane.
Four people were pronounced dead at the scene, while five died at the hospital. The driver is among the dead. A 26-year-old man who was a passenger was rescued and is in serious condition.
"I've been with the department for 20 years and this is one of the most difficult scenes I've been on," Reyes said.
According to multiple Ford dealership websites, 2023 Explorers have a maximum capacity of seven people.
