The Palm Beach County Medical Examiner’s Office has ruled that the cause of death for all nine people killed in an SUV crash this week was drowning, with “accident” being listed as the manner of death.
The medical examiner’s ruling comes as local and federal authorities investigate the cause of the crash, one of the deadliest in Palm Beach County in recent memory. It occurred about 7:30 p.m. Monday on the 5800 block of Hatton Highway, northeast of Belle Glade.
The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office reported that 10 people were traveling in a 2023 Ford Explorer that went off the roadway near Conners Highway and overturned as it plunged into a canal, one that Florida Department of Transportation workers said was 6 feet deep and muddied by recent rains.
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The wreck killed nine of the SUV’s 10 occupants, including six children ranging in age from 23 months to 14 years. Investigators said two of the children were from Connecticut while another was from Virginia. They have not yet released the places of residence for all those in the car.