UPDATE: Man charged in deadly I-75 wreck
Published 9:30 pm Saturday, December 21, 2019
VALDOSTA — A man has been charged in connection with the death of a child in a vehicular accident Saturday, according to authorities.
The accident, a single-vehicle wreck with seven occupants in the vehicle occurred at about 12:10 p.m. on Interstate 75 southbound near mile marker 26, said Cpl. Ryan Harding of the Georgia State Patrol. The driver overcorrected and overturned the vehicle with it landing upside down, Harding said.
The fatality was a 5-year-old girl who was ejected from the vehicle, Harding said. No other occupants were ejected, Harding said.
Alejandro Espinoza, the driver, is charged with second-degree vehicular manslaughter, failure to maintain lane, driving without a license and a child-restraint violation, according to Harding.
Another child – age 13 – sustained severe injuries and was taken by Life Flight to Shands Hospital in Gainesville, Fla., for treatment, Harding said.
The five other passengers in the car were taken to South Georgia Medical Center and one was flown out to an unknown facility for further treatment, Harding said.
Harding said some information remains unknown as authorities had trouble communicating with the seven occupants as they did not speak, read or write English.
Southbound traffic was heavily affected by the wreck.
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VALDOSTA — A one-vehicle accident left one person dead Saturday afternoon, according to authorities.
The accident occurred around noon on Interstate 75 southbound near mile marker 26, said Lowndes County Sheriff Ashley Paulk.
The fatality was a 4-year-old girl, Paulk said.
Another child between the age 4 and 5 sustained severe injuries and was taken by Life Flight to an unknown location for treatment, Paulk said.
The status of other the other two residents in the car is unknown as of 4 p.m, according to Paulk.
Southbound traffic was heavily affected by the wreck.