C.J. Gish
A 1-year-old Lehigh Acres boy died Saturday morning when a vehicle hit him at a Ginnie Springs Outdoors campsite west of High Springs in Gilchrist County.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) report, a 26-year-old Lehigh Acres man driving an SUV went into reverse from a primitive camping area around 8:28 a.m. The driver then turned left, not realizing the toddler had entered the vehicle’s path, FHP reported. The car struck the child with its front right tire.
Emergency responders airlifted the toddler to UF Shands Hospital, where he later died.
According to FHP spokesman Pat Riordan, the driver of the vehicle was the child’s father.
Ginnie Springs is a privately owned recreation area with a history of rowdy parties and accidents. A Facebook group titled “Citizens for Holding Ginnie Springs Accountable” has almost 900 members.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated.