By Tampa Bay Times Staff
A 4-month-old boy died Friday afternoon when a Chevrolet Silverado crossed through an intersection and crashed into a car carrying three young children, Hillsborough County sheriff's deputies said.
Peter Tan, 21, of Orlando was driving westbound on Kirkland Road at 4:15 p.m. when he approached the intersection of Wiggins Road South, deputies said.
But Tan ignored the right-of-way and drove into the path of a 2007 Hyundai Sonata traveling northbound on Wiggins Road, deputies said.
Marlene Gomez Rosales, 27, was driving the Sonata carrying her three young children and steered to the left in an attempt to avoid colliding with Tan, deputies said. But her car hit the left rear quarter panel of the truck.
All three children were in the back seat of the car. The 4-month-old, Rodrigo Modesto, suffered life-threatening injuries, deputies said. Rodrigo was taken to South Baptist Hospital, where he died a short time later.
All of the other passengers, including a 3-year-old and a 6-year-old, were transported to Tampa General Hospital with injuries that were not considered to be life-threatening.
The investigation is ongoing. Neither alcohol nor drugs are suspected of contributing to the crash, officials said. The Sheriff's Office did not release information about whether the children were properly strapped into child seats.