MOULTRIE — A car crash that killed a 7-year-old girl Wednesday was caused by another car crossing into the path of the vehicle she was riding in, the Georgia State Patrol said Friday.
The GSP said a Ford Expedition, driven by Elias Garcia, 43, of Circle Road, was driving west on Highway 37 near Old Camilla Road at about 7:40 a.m. Garcia told a GSP trooper another vehicle traveling eastbound came into his lane, and he hit the brakes to avoid a collision.
When Garcia hit the brakes, the Expedition lost control, rotated clockwise and went off the roadway, the GSP said. The vehicle then went into a ditch, and its left side hit a cement driveway embankment.
The Expedition overturned and continued to travel forward while off of the roadway, the GSP said. The vehicle came to an uncontrolled rest facing east on the north side of Highway 37.
The GSP said Daniela Campos, 7, a passenger in the SUV, was killed in the accident, and Garcia and a 6-year-old passenger, Elila Campos, were both injured. Garcia and Elila Campos were taken to Colquitt Regional Medical Center, and a hospital spokesperson said both were treated for their injuries and had been released by Friday morning.
Colquitt County Coroner Verlyn Brock said the girls were being taken to Funston Elementary School, where they were both in the first grade, when the crash took place. Elila Campos and Garcia were not seriously injured, he said, but Daniela Campos was pronounced dead when emergency personnel arrived at the scene.
The GSP said neither of the girls was restrained at the time of the crash, but Daniela Campos was not ejected from the vehicle.
The accident remains under investigation by the GSP’s Specialized Collision Reconstruction Team (SCRT).
Moultrie Police Investigator Cpl. Dave Underwood said a patch of ice on the roadway may have been a contributing factor in the crash. Whether it played a role and why the patch was on the roadway remained under investigation Friday afternoon.