4 children recovering after SUV plows through fence, falls onto beach

ORMOND-BY-THE-SEA, Fla. (FOX 35 Orlando) - It was a catastrophic day at the beach, as fun in the sun turned to disaster when kids playing in the sand were run over.

People are scratching their heads, trying to understand what happened, as they hope for a speedy recovery for four children, ages three to 11.  Through the hole in the fence, you could see the SUV that struck them, sitting on the beach.

There was shock through this part or Ormond-by-the-Sea, where troopers with the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) say the driver of the vehicle went through a fence onto beach, hitting the children.

“I think it's terrible. What do you do?” said Kai Ponder, who lives nearby.

“Surprise. I've never seen that before,” said Sonny Wirsing, who was sitting in this lot next to the beach reading a magazine when it happened. “Hope for the best. It was a wild sight to see.”

FHP says the driver was parked on the shoulder of State Road A1A, tried to turn and lost control, plowing through a parking lot onto the beach.

FHP says a five-year-old is in the worst shape. She was run over by the truck, and the other three were hit but all are expected to be okay. Crews towed the car before high tide swept it away. Deputies put away some of the victim’s bikes while FHP ticketed William Johnson, 82, of Massachusetts, for careless driving. They also recommended that he takes his driver’s license test again.