WINTER HAVEN — An Auburndale High School student was struck and killed Tuesday morning by an SUV in Winter Haven.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office said deputies responded to a call about an accident near 34th Street and Avenue S Northwest shortly before 6 a.m. Yeriel Gonzalez, 15, of Winter Haven was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Sheriff’s Office said Gonzalez was riding a small black-and-white electric scooter, similar to a Razor, in the southbound lane of 34th Street on his way to a friend’s house. A gray 2016 Dodge Durango driven by John Barrett III, 29, of Winter Haven was traveling north along 34th Street on his way to work. The SUV was traveling behind another vehicle as it approached Avenue S.
Barrett told deputies that he swerved to avoid some dogs that ran into the roadway, entering the southbound lane of 34th Street, according to the Sheriff’s Office. The front of the Durango struck Gonzalez.
The accident investigation is open and ongoing at this time. Barrett was not injured.