15-year-old boy not wearing seatbelt dies after driver crashes into oak tree in Venice

SARASOTA COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) – A 15-year-old boy has died after troopers say the car he was in crashed into a tree and overturned, causing him to be ejected from the SUV.

According to the Florida Highway Patrol, a 17-year-old boy driving a Jeep Wrangler on Jackson Road around 4:40 p.m. Monday started to approach Batello Drive when he “entered a slight curve within the roadway.”

Troopers say the teenager left the roadway, hit the curb, and drove into the grassy shoulder before hitting an oak tree. The Wrangler overturned, causing the 15-year-old passenger, who was not wearing a seatbelt, to be ejected from the car.

A release from FHP says the 15-year-old was pronounced dead on the scene by Sarasota County EMS.

The driver was wearing a seatbelt, however, troopers say.

The Florida Highway Patrol Traffic Homicide Unit will continue to investigate this crash.

No other details have been released at this time.