PALMETTO BAY, Fla. – Five children, including a toddler, were injured Monday afternoon when the golf cart they were in crashed with a vehicle in Palmetto Bay.
The crash happened about 12:45 p.m. when the 16-year-old driver of the golf cart was traveling westbound on Southwest 170th Street and didn't stop at a stop sign, police said. The cart then collided with a vehicle that was heading north on Southwest 79th Place.
"The golf cart was struck and did flip over. All of the occupants were ejected," Miami-Dade police spokeswoman Robin Pinkard said.
According to Pinkard, a 12-year-old boy and the 16-year-old girl were critically injured in the crash.
"The golf cart -- we rolled it off the young lady, and then about 20 feet off to the left, the young boy was face down and he was in pretty bad shape," neighbor Ken Sowma said.
Sowma, who is a former firefighter, was the first person to rush over to help before more neighbors came.
"When I got there, the little kid was all bloody and having difficulty breathing," neighbor Leo Tio said. "She came out crying and panicking. I just drove her over there."
The other children, the youngest just 2 years old, were treated at the scene and released to their parents.
A 57-year-old woman who was driving the vehicle wasn't injured. She told Local 10 News that she had just gotten off of work and the golf cart came out of nowhere.
Police said the woman will not be cited.
Local 10 News reporter Derek Shore spoke to Palmetto Bay Mayor Eugene Flinn Tuesday, who said the city allows golf carts on most roads, although there is an ordinance governing its operation.
"It does require various safety equipment, windshields, a horn (and) seat belts," Flinn said.
It's unclear whether any of the children were wearing seat belts.
"People don't think it's a real motor vehicle," Sowma said. "You shouldn't think of it as a toy."
#MDFR working an #MCI1 near 170 ST & SW 79TH PL. Golf cart vs. vehicle. 2 #TraumaAlert + 4 more patients.
— MDFR (@MiamiDadeFire) July 4, 2016