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According to the Florida Highway Patrol, at about 6 a.m. Wednesday, a Chevrolet pickup truck rear-ended a Ford pickup truck that was making a right turn into Zephyrhills Festival & Auction from the northbound lanes of US 301. The Ford pickup rotated into the path of a Pontiac Vibe. After striking the Pontiac, the truck hit a wooden power pole and a large rock, while the Pontiac landed in a ditch. A backseat passenger in the Pontiac, 16-year-old St. Pete High student Kelmy Tanon, was killed in the crash.
The Griffith family was returning to Cape Coral on I-75 after a vacation in Tennessee when their car was struck from behind by a vehicle driven by 22-year-old Caitlin Grace. The impact caused Grace's vehicle to flip, and the Griffith vehicle to be pushed onto the shoulder of the road. 5-year-old Nathan Griffith was fatally injured. The driver Alexander Griffith and passenger Sheila Griffith suffered serious injuries, and 7-year-old Marissa Griffith suffered minor injuries. Caitlin Grace was also hospitalized in serious condition.
Kelly, 44, her husband, Michael Kelly, 71, and her two sons were traveling northbound on County Road 1, troopers said. After being hit, the Ford rotated counter-clockwise and overturned, troopers said.