8-year-old boy dies in crash after driver falls asleep at wheel, family says

CALHOUN COUNTY, Florida (WOIO/Gray News) - A family in Ohio says they lost a child in a crash on New Year’s Eve while he was on a holiday trip in Florida.

WOIO reports that 8-year-old Tyler Donathan died in a car crash on Sunday in Calhoun County, about 70 miles outside Tallahassee.

“We can’t stop thinking about him,” the boy’s aunt, Donna Kite, said. “It’s like your heart is breaking and you don’t know when it will stop. He was so young. He had his whole life in front of him.”

According to Kite, Tyler was in Florida with her brother, 58-year-old Keith Donathan, visiting friends for the holidays.

According to Florida Highway Patrol troopers, five passengers were traveling in a sedan heading east on State Road 20 that day.

Troopers said there was a curve in the road, and the driver did not fully turn the car, drifting into the shoulder. The driver then overcorrected, rolling the vehicle several times and ending up in a ditch.

Kite said one of her brother’s friends was behind the wheel and she dozed off at the time of the crash.

“He said he was tired, she was tired, but she drove and that’s when it happened,” she said.

A 56-year-old woman, who has not yet been identified, also died in the crash. Three others were seriously injured, including Kite’s brother.

“He’s got a broken collar bone, some fractures, and he’s got a brain bleed,” Kite said. “He said it feels like a nightmare and he can’t wake up.”

Keith Donathan is expected to remain in the hospital for at least another month, according to Kite.

She said the family is planning to bring Tyler’s body back to Ohio for funeral services.

Authorities say charges are pending against the driver, whose name has not yet been released.

Copyright 2024 WOIO via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.