Kindergartner killed in crash

A 6-year-old boy's life might have been spared if he had been wearing a seat belt Monday morning, a crash investigator said.

Dennis Lamberton, a kindergarten student at Fort Braden School, was killed after 7 a.m. on State Road 20 when a car struck the Ford Explorer he was riding in, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

"If there had been seat belts we wouldn't have been out here," Sgt. Ken Ellis of the Florida Highway Patrol said Monday. "This was a survivable crash."

Here's what happened, according to the FHP:

Dennis was a passenger in a Ford Explorer that was traveling east on State Road 20. Frank Gunn, a 75-year-old Tallahassee resident, also traveling east, veered into the westbound lane to see if it was clear to pass the Explorer.

After that, the SUV, driven by Connie McCreless, 32, of Tallahassee, slowed to make a left turn onto Charles McIntosh Road. Gunn was unable to stop in time to avoid colliding with the rear of the Ford. The SUV spun and flipped, ejecting Dennis.

Bob Ryan, who's lived on State Road 20 for more than 20 years, said he heard the crash. He said it sounded like "loud thunder."

Ryan called the road a hazard, and said people drive too fast on it because they know they can get away with it.

Attempts to reach Gunn and McCreless were unsuccessful. Two sources said they understood that McCreless is Dennis' aunt.

The fatality is thought to be the 15th traffic-related death in Leon County this year, said Lt. John Bagnardi of the Florida Highway Patrol. That's a "drastic improvement" from this time last year when 32 deaths had been reported, he said.

McCreless and three other children, ages 7, 9 and 11, received minor injuries and were taken to Tallahassee Memorial Hospital. None wore seat belts. A 3-year-old in a child seat was not hurt, the FHP reported.

Gunn, who was wearing a seat belt, was treated at the scene and released, the FHP's Ellis said. A passenger in Gunn's vehicle received minor injuries.

Florida law requires children to travel in child restraints until they are 4 years old, Bagnardi said. Regardless of the child's age, parents must be sure they're properly restrained.

"Put the child in the seat. If the shoulder portion (of the seat belt) doesn't fit square in the center of the shoulder like it would on you or I, it generally means they need to be boosted up," Bagnardi said.

The Florida Highway Patrol wants to make not wearing a seat belt a primary offense, he said. Officials plan to take the proposal before the Legislature in the spring.
Making it a primary offense would mean drivers could be pulled over for not wearing a seat belt. While the current law requires drivers to wear a seat belt, they can only be cited for not wearing one if they are pulled over for another reason. It won't be the first time the idea has been brought to the Legislature.

The busy, single-laned State Road 20 was temporarily closed between Oak Tree Lane and Five by Five Road because of Monday's crash. Traffic was rerouted onto Joe Thomas Road.

Fort Braden Principal Paul Green instructed teachers to inform students about the death "to dispel rumors." He said he "asked teachers, depending on the age of the children and awareness of the situation, to discuss it in an age-appropriate way and to refer any students who had difficulty handling it to guidance."

Green said students in Dennis' class were doing OK, and that others who were visibly upset went home.

"He was a typical cute little rascal," Green said of Dennis.

By Kim McCoy Vann Tallahassee Democrat

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