4 South Shore Family Members Killed In Crash Near Disney

A 5-year-old girl, her 11-year-old brother, and their mother and grandmother were killed after a van carrying the vacationing South Shore family was rear-ended Tuesday evening on a Florida highway near Disney World.

The deceased family members were Scarlett Smith, 5, her brother, Jaxson, 11, and their mother Julie, 41, all of Whitman. Also killed was the children's grandmother, Josephine Fay, 76, of Weymouth, according to Florida Highway Patrol.

Jaxon Smith was placed on life support after the crash and he succumbed to his injuries Wednesday afternoon.

The children's father, grandfather and two other siblings — all of whom were also in the van — were taken to the hospital with minor injuries. The Boston Globe reported those children are ages 5 and 10.

The van was involved in a four-vehicle crash around 5:30 p.m. on State Road 429 in Osceola County. WKMG in Florida reported a pickup truck driven by a 26-year-old Kissimmee man rear-ended the family's van. The woman could face charges.

Two other vehicles were involved in the crash. The drivers were not injured.

The Boston Globe said Whitman-Hanson Superintendent Jeffrey Szymaniak confirmed a family from the district was in a fatal crash. Jackson Smith was in sixth grade, while Scarlett Smith was in a private preschool.

"This is a tragedy, and I believe I express the sentiments of all families, students and employees of the Whitman-Hanson Regional School District in saying that we mourn together during this incredibly difficult time," Szymaniak said.

The district is on February break.