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Five dead, child injured in hydroplaning wreck in DeSoto County, Florida

Jennifer Zuniga, 30, of Venus, Fl. and a driver and three passengers in a separate vehicle are dead after a two vehicle crash on a wet road Sunday night at 7:02 p.m. on State Road 70.

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Three St. Petersburg sisters, heading home from a church conference, were among the four killed in the second vehicle.

There was one survivor in this horrific crash, a 6-year-old boy who is in critical condition at Tampa General Hospital.

Six-year-old Thivierge, who was a passenger in Zuniga’s Ford truck, was wearing his seatbelt at the time of the accident; Antwayne Robinson, a passenger in the Passat, was also wearing his seatbelt, according to the report.

Troopers say alcohol didn’t play a factor.

Speaking to reporters at the church Monday morning, Ricardo Welch said he is devastated by the death of his daughters.

“They set a great example for young people in our community and they lived a life that folks can look to as a great example for our young people”, said Welch.

The Welch sisters, accomplished church singers, had attended the Florida Eastern Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction Holy Convocation, held during the weekend in Fort Pierce. No information was available on the report about whether the other two Welch sisters wore seatbelts. He works as a musician in a church in Raleigh, North Carolina, she said.

“My brother called and said he needed me and I came, and when I got there he told me what happened and we just both cried”, said uncle Clarence Skinner.

“We will make sure that those kids will grow up knowing about their parent, they’ll be surrounded by family and love”, said Skinner.

His relatives declined to comment but he is a student at Lake Country Elementary School, principal Erica Ashley confirmed.

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“He loved music”, she said.

Five dead, child injured in hydroplaning wreck in DeSoto County, Florida