ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — On Sunday, the Florida Highway Patrol said a stolen SUV with six teenagers hit and killed a man near a busy Orange County intersection.
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Investigators said the crash happened on Dean Road, just off State Road 408, around 4:30 a.m.
While Channel 9 was working to gather more details at the scene, our crew met the mother of a different person killed in a crash in the same area last year.
Patricia Ortega said her son was T-boned and died 14 months ago along the same stretch of road.
In February 2022, a car had turned off Dean Road and hit her 21-year-old son Christopher on his motorcycle.
Read: 1 dead, 6 injured after teen driving stolen car runs red light in Orange County
Now, she stopped by to clean up her son’s site, and the roadside memorial is a place of comfort and peace for Ortega.
“This is where I know his last spot was, and it makes me feel a little close to him,” she said.
Ortega said she was not surprised that another deadly crash happened in the area.
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Investigators said a Toyota 4Runner was traveling eastbound from the State Road 408 exit ramps and was making a left turn onto Dean Road on a green light.
At the same time, troopers said a 15-year-old Orlando boy was driving a stolen Hyundai Santa Fe south on Dean Road, ran a red light and slammed into the Toyota.
Troopers said the 23-year-old driver of the Toyota was killed, and all of the teenagers were taken to the hospital, including a 16-year-old boy, a 15-year-old girl, a 14-year-old girl, a 13-year-old girl and a 13-year-old boy.
Read: Deputies seek hit-and-run driver after bicyclist dies in Polk County crash
And while our crew was reporting at the crash scene, they witnessed another crash at the intersection, with damaged car parts on the road.
Ortega said the stretch of road is no stranger to crashes, and she is concerned that if nothing changes, more families will end up in her situation.
“I feel like they need to do something, whether with these cameras or more restrictions (or) some more lights,” she said.
Read: FHP: 78-year-old Orlando man killed in early morning crash in Orange County
Channel 9 is still working on learning the victims’ identities and has asked the Orange County Sheriff’s Office for more information about the stolen car.
Deputies said they have been in contact with the owner but have not shared any other details.
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