Multiple fire department personal along with officers from the Clearwater Police Department responded to the Building Blocks Child Care Facility located at 1112 Lakeview Rd in Clearwater approximately 5:20 p.m. on Monday, June 13, 2022.
Initial reports indicated that a vehicle struck the building leaving people injured.
VIDEO FROM SCENE
Six people were transported to local hospital including three children. All injuries are being described as non life-threatening injuries.
Firefighters worked to shore up the corner of the building’s awning to stabilize the structure. The vehicle did damage a small portion of the exterior wall and a nearby window.
The driver of the pickup truck reportedly lost control of the vehicle leading up to the crash. The impact of truck destroyed the table that was setup outside where the children signed out. This all occurred during a busy pickup time as families were arriving to pickup their children after getting out of work.
According to investigators, a grandmother who was there to pick up a child saw another child in front of or near her vehicle and tried to brake. She hit the gas pedal instead and the truck went out of control in the parking lot and struck multiple people, including a mother and her three children — ages 2, 3 and 5. The three children were taken to All Children’s Hospital for treatment, while their mother went to Bayfront Health
St. Petersburg.
The driver of the truck was taken to Largo Medical Center, while a day care staff member was taken to Mease Dunedin Hospital. The 57 year-old driver of the pickup was cited for careless driving.
Employees from the city’s building department will visit the structure Tuesday for a further examination.