Mom and Toddler Killed When Their Car Crashes Into Parked Train

A mother and her 3-year-old son are dead after their car crashed into a parked train.

Classie Jones, 29, and her 3-year-old son, Benjamin Taylor, were killed after their 1999 silver Toyota Corolla driven by Jones went off the roadway and slammed into a parked train near the intersection of U.S. 17 and Spirit Lake Road in Bartow, Florida, The Ledger reports.

Deputies reported that both Jones and her son were unresponsive when they arrived at the scene of the crash, which reportedly occurred at about 11:47 p.m. on Monday, April 23. Jones was transported to Winter Haven Hospital, where she was pronounced dead shortly after. Her son, Benjamin Taylor, was taken to St. Joseph's Children's Hospital in Tampa, but succumbed to his injuries several hours later.

A preliminary investigation found that Jones lost control of her vehicle, causing her to cross the median and several southbound lanes before crashing into the train, which was parked on tracks that ran parallel to the highway. Jones was not wearing a seatbelt, though her son was buckled into a booster seat behind the driver's seat.

"There was nothing that suggests it was intentional," Brian Bruchey, a spokesman for the Polk County Sheriff's Office, said.

Bruchey added that speed, impairment, or distraction could be factors in the crash.

Last month, another toddler in Florida found himself lucky to be alive after a car crash sent him through the windshield, an incident which was captured on video.

According to police, Artesia Cowart, 23, was driving her silver Buick LeSabre with her 2-year-old son and 3-year-old daughter in the backseat in Winter Haven, Florida at around 5:05 p.m. on Sunday, March 25. Cowart stopped at a stop sign for approximately 32 seconds before pulling out onto Highway 17 and into the path of a maroon Ford F-150.

Video footage captured by surveillance video at a nearby gas station shows the moment that the truck hits the back left door of Cowart's vehicle, causing the car to spin across the road and ejecting the 2-year-old boy from the back window.

The toddler landed on the sidewalk and was missed by the Buick by just five feet as it began to roll backwards. The Buick continued to roll backwards until it came to a rest against a van.

The toddler was flown to St. Joseph's Hospital in Tampa for treatment. He suffered bruised lungs and bruises on his head, according to his aunt. Cowart and her 3-year-old daughter were Lakeland Regional Health with minor injuries.

Cowart's Lesabre had two car seats and a booster seat in the back seat, but authorities have not yet determined if the seats were properly installed or if the children were correctly secured in them at the time of the collision. Neither seat was ejected with the boy, according to officials.