PINE HILLS, Fla. — An SUV left Pine Hills Road on Thursday afternoon and tore into a day-care classroom, sending three children and two adults to hospitals. Florida Highway Patrol and Orange County Fire Rescue said everyone hurt is expected to recover.
Troopers placed the wreck shortly before 3 p.m. at Tattle Tales Learning Center on North Pine Hills Road near Elinore Drive. A 2003 Honda CR-V heading south in the outside lane drifted off the pavement for reasons still unknown.
The vehicle crossed the median, cut through northbound lanes, mounted the shoulder and punched through an exterior wall, stopping fully inside the building. Photos from the scene showed the SUV deep in the classroom space.
Florida Highway Patrol said the driver was a 79-year-old Orlando man. He and a day-care adult went to Orlando Regional Medical Center. The three injured children, all age 4, were taken to Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children.
Orlando Health later reported all five patients in good condition. Fire officials briefly listed one child as a trauma alert at the scene. Battalion Chief Nichol Stratman said one child was hurt more seriously than the others but that the five were expected to be OK.
Fourteen people were inside when the vehicle hit, fire officials said, with some in a different room from the impact. Both directions of Pine Hills Road were shut down while troopers, deputies and firefighters worked.
County building officials have blocked occupancy of the damaged center because of how badly the structure was hit, a spokesperson said. Florida Highway Patrol is still trying to learn why the driver left the roadway.
Section: More Orlando FL crime news