Newly released documents from the National Transportation Safety Board are shedding light on the fatal crash last year near Belle Glade that killed nine members of the same family.
All of the victims drowned when their SUV overturned into a canal at a sharp turn on Hatton Highway. Among those killed were three adults and six children, ranging in age from one to fourteen years old.
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Cell phone records show the driver who died was on the phone with the rental car company just nine minutes before the crash. Investigators say the 2023 Ford Explorer had no active recalls. However, the NTSB says the family had reported multiple times that the SUV was making a “clanking” noise and had even tried to exchange the car in Fort Myers.
According to the report:
- The family made three calls to the rental car company.
- The first call was made on the day they got the car, reporting the clanking noise.
- The second call came five days later, on the day of the crash, saying the noise was getting worse. The report states the family declined roadside assistance.
- The third call happened a few hours later, when the driver again mentioned the noise and also reported problems with the air conditioning and radio.
The NTSB says 10 family members were inside the SUV on August 5 of last year, despite the vehicle only having seating for seven people. Only the driver and front seat passenger were wearing their seat belts; no child restraints were found. Investigators also learned the driver was wearing a medical walking boot on her right foot at the time.
The family was traveling from Cape Coral back to Palm Beach International Airport when they had to take a 12-mile detour. The closure of Connors Highway sent them onto Hatton Highway, where the SUV overturned into the canal along a sharp curve.
Jordan Hall, 26, was the lone survivor. Hall told investigators the driver navigated the first turn without any problems, but at the second turn they heard the clanking noise again and the vehicle would not turn, causing it to go over the divider and into the water.
The NTSB report notes the road sags at that sharp turn, and county data shows more crashes have happened there than anywhere else along the roadway. Palm Beach County has since hired a consulting firm to make roadway improvements to the curves near the crash site.
These new findings are all part of a more than 400-page NTSB report. The investigation is still ongoing, and probable cause will be determined at the conclusion of the investigation.
