Girl dies falling off I-75 overpass onto U.S. 301

When a vehicle hit a guard rail on an Interstate 75 overpass Wednesday, the impact hurled a sleeping 12-year-old girl out a window and onto the pavement of busy U.S. 301 roadway 26 feet below.

The driver of a tractor-trailer on U.S. 301 saw the girl's plunge and quickly halted the rig to avoid running her over. The driver then maneuvered the trailer across the northbound lanes to block traffic from hitting her, said Florida Highway Patrol Lt. Chris Miller.

The girl, Amarilis Cardona of Cape Coral, died at Bayfront Medical Center in St. Petersburg shortly after being flown there by emergency helicopter, Miller said.

The girl's stepfather, Daniel J. Garcia, 29, of Cape Coral, lost control of the Ford Expedition about 8 a.m. Wednesday while traveling northbound on I-75 near the U.S. 301 exit in Ellenton.

The tread of a rear tire separated on the sport-utility vehicle, jolting it into a spin that caused the SUV to slam into a concrete barrier, Miller said.

Amarilis was lying down in the third row of seats without a seat belt and was ejected through a side window.

She landed on U.S. 301 just in front of the tractor-trailer. The truck driver's name was not released, pending further FHP interviews.

There were three other Cape Coral residents in the SUV: Rita M. Sanchez, 28; Margarita Caldas, 22; and Edwin Cruz, 7.

Sanchez and Caldas sustained minor injuries; Garcia and Edwin were not injured, FHP reported. The relationship among the remaining passengers is unclear.

The crash is under investigation, and charges are pending.

Miller said troopers often encounter vehicles with unrestrained, sleeping children in the back seat.

"I understand children get tired during long car trips," he said. "But the thing is, you never know when you'll be in a crash, and it's not like you'll have time to sit up and put a seat belt on. This is a sad, tragic case."

The I-75 overpass is the same place where a fuel tanker rolled off and exploded last summer. The driver was killed, and the explosion damaged the overpass.

The overpass was repaired in about two weeks. In May, a semi lost control on the bridge and teetered on the concrete wall as it leaked diesel fuel. The driver was not injured.