A mother and her two children died in a fiery crash on interstate I-95 in South Carolina after their Kia Soul hit an alligator that was crossing the highway. The car swerved off the highway and struck a tree before bursting into flames. Orangeburg County Chief Deputy Coroner Sean Fogle said that 24-year-old Amber Stanley, her 4-year-old son Jack and 2-year-old daughter Autumn "died of thermal injuries due to the vehicle fire."
Stanely was driving north on I-95 just before one in the morning when she struck the alligator as it attempted to make its way across the highway. Stanely ran over the gator causing her to lose control of her SUV. She swerved to left side of the road and into the median before colliding with a tree. The car then burst into flames, trapping the three inside.
The South Carolina Highway Patrol is continuing to investigate the crash.
The family was from Callahan, Florida, which is about 20 miles north of Jacksonville.
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