ORANGE COUNTY, FL — A 17-year-old male passenger was killed and seven other people were seriously injured in a crash on Interstate 4 early Sunday morning, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
The incident occurred at approximately 3:30 a.m. on April 19, 2026, at mile marker 66 on I-4 westbound in Orange County.
A 2004 Chevrolet Trailblazer SUV, occupied by a driver and six passengers, was traveling westbound in the inside lane when its right rear tire blew out. The vehicle overturned several times, leaving the roadway onto the left shoulder and striking the median guardrail. One passenger was ejected from the SUV onto the eastbound center lane of I-4.
A 2017 Lexus CT sedan traveling eastbound in the center lane then struck the ejected passenger.
According to FHP, the 17-year-old male passenger from Lake Wales, who was not wearing a seatbelt, was transported to Osceola Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced deceased.
The driver of the Trailblazer, an 18-year-old male from Bartow, and the six passengers — all teenagers ranging in age from 16 to 19 from Bartow, Babson Park, Lake Wales, and an unknown city in Florida, sustained serious injuries and were transported to Orlando Regional Medical Center. Seatbelt use for the SUV occupants is unknown.
The driver of the Lexus, a 34-year-old male from Sanford, and his 28-year-old female passenger, also from Sanford, were not injured.
The crash remains under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol. Nothing further at this time.
SOURCE: FLORIDA HIGHWAY PATROL
