OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. – Troopers with the Florida Highway Patrol are still looking for people who witnessed Thursday's deadly crash on the Florida Turnpike.
Thursday's crash shut down the turnpike between the Canoe Creek service plaza and Yeehaw junction.
The FHP reports a total of five children and five adults were inside a Ford Explorer that flipped several times, after possibly being cut off by another car.
The FHP identifies the driver as Amabilia Benrardo Perez, 29, of Indiantown, Florida. FHP confirms one of the passengers, identified as Thelma Domingo, 39, also of Indiantown, Florida, was pronounced dead at the scene after being thrown from the car.
Perez and eight other passengers, five of whom are children, were transported to area hospitals. Their conditions have not been released.
"This vehicle rolled several times and ejected everyone but one person," said Trooper Steve Montiero, News 6's traffic safety expert. "I guarantee you this -- that person had their seat belt on."
Montiero said he used to patrol this particular stretch of the Florida Turnpike, and said he did not see a lot of crashes. But he said when it does happen, it's bad.
The reason is there is a long stretch between exits, and the high rate of speed drivers are traveling along that stretch of highway.
What Montiero said he's most concerned about is that there were 10 people inside a Ford Explorer, which only has seat belts for half that number of people.
"If there's not a seat for you, or a seat belt designated for you, you should not be in that car," Montiero said. "I get it -- in the car for long distances, the kids want to lay down in the back seat. They want to relax. They want to watch their movies. But they have to have that belt on."
According to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, troopers and other officers worked a total of 10,659 crashes across Florida during the 2017 Thanksgiving holiday stretch. Of those, 105 people died, and 19 of them were not wearing seat belts.
Click here for the agency’s holiday travel tips.
The Florida Highway Patrol will have extra troopers out patrolling the roads through the weekend. According to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, all available FHP troopers, along with FHP reserve and auxiliary members, will be patrolling the roads between Nov. 20 and Nov. 25 to make sure people are buckling up and following the rules of the road as part of their "Buckle Up to Arrive Alive" campaign.