Family identifies 5-year-old killed in RV crash that also killed unborn baby days after Christmas
OCALA, Fla. (WCJB/Gray News) — A 5-year-old boy who died in an RV crash in Florida two days after Christmas has been identified.
WCJB confirmed Tucker Sandlin, 5, was killed in the crash. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Tucker was from Springfield, Ohio, where he attended Enon Preschool. School district officials said multiple staff members were affected by the deadly crash.
Florida state troopers said Tucker was in an RV with 14 other people, all from Ohio, when it collided with an SUV Saturday morning.
Troopers said the RV was going the wrong way on U.S. 27. Officials said the thick fog likely contributed to the crash, as visibility was low.
A 25-year-old woman who was 33 weeks pregnant was driving the SUV. The woman was taken to the hospital in critical condition, but her unborn baby did not survive.
The pregnant woman was rushed to the operating room, but the baby died after an attempted delivery, officials and family said.
The mother, identified by family members as Josie NesSmith, remains hospitalized.
According to a GoFundMe page, NesSmith has a long road to recovery. She suffered a broken femur in multiple places and lost her spleen.
The fundraiser is asking for donations to help cover her medical expenses as well as help care for her 9-month-old son while she recovers.
Eleven people from the RV were taken to the hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.
Belinda Copen lives near the intersection where the crash occurred. She said collisions occur there often.
“I feel like they need to put new rumble strips because they’re barely existent, extra signs. There have been exactly five wrecks, and I told my husband, I said ‘One day, somebody is going to come out of that road, and they’re going to hit somebody,’” Copen said. “That day was today.”
Copyright 2026 WCJB via Gray Local Media, Inc. All rights reserved.
