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LAKE ALFRED, Fla. (WFTS) — Authorities say a 5-year-old boy was killed after the man driving the vehicle he was in ran a red light and crashed.
Ayden Cabanas, 5, suffered severe head trauma after the vehicle hit a car then slammed into a pole and overturned on Sunday night. He was airlifted to St. Joseph’s Hospital in Tampa but died of his injuries.
Authorities say Austin Cabanas, 26, was driving the car with Ayden, Shannon Yawn, 24, and a 3-year-old girl inside.
Lake Alfred Police say the crash happened after an officer attempted to stop the vehicle. Austin ran the light and hit a vehicle driven by 23-year-old Cole Ethridge, who only complained of soreness after the accident.
Austin admitted to authorities he was driving with a suspended license. A blood test later showed he had methamphetamines in his system.
Authorities say Yawn admitted the children were not properly secured and that Cabanas could have been speeding. She says she didn’t know there was an officer behind their vehicle at the time of the crash.
Austin was taken to Lakeland Regional Health after complaining of chest pains. Authorities say he became combative at the hospital and was unable to be interviewed by authorities. A follow-up blood test will determine if the level of drugs was enough to cause impairment, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.
The 3-year-old girl was also taken to St. Joseph’s Hospital but authorities only say her condition stable. Yawn was treated and released.
The investigation in on-going.
Austin has prior arrests for driving without a valid drivers license.
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