Investigators with the Lee County Sheriff’s Office are looking for witnesses who may have seen what transpired before crash that fatally injured the driver and sent four children to the hospital Sunday.
The Lee County Sheriff’s Office received multiple calls Sunday about a crash on Lee Boulevard, just west of the intersection of Harry Avenue North in Lehigh Acres at 2:28 p.m.
Four people had been ejected from a Ford Explorer after it had rolled over after leaving the roadway. A fifth person was still in the vehicle. Emergency responders immediately began to aid the injured, however, the driver of the SUV was, subsequently, pronounced dead at the scene.
He has been identified as Raymond Jennings, 67, of 3317 15th Street West, Lehigh Acres. One of the passengers was critically injured and airlifted to the Trauma Center at Lee Memorial Hospital. The other three were taken by ambulance. The passengers were children, ages 7, 9, 15 and 15. Two have been treated and released while two remain hospitalized, one in critical condition. All passengers are from Lehigh Acres.
Due to the nature of the crash, Traffic Homicide detectives were assigned to continue the investigation. Preliminary findings indicate the driver lost control of the vehicle after moving from the center, westbound, lane he was traveling, possibly to avoid another vehicle entering his lane. The vehicle went over a curb and began to roll when encountering an incline at the west end of a residential yard. The vehicle flipped multiple times before coming to rest in a vacant lot.
No one was wearing a seat-belt, officials said.
Anyone who may have witnessed the crash and not spoken with investigators is asked to contact the Lee County Sheriff’s Office at (239) 477-1000. The investigation continues. This is the 21st fatality in Lee County in 2009.

Source: Lee County Sheriff’s Office