A toddler has died a day after police say she and her mother were struck by two Tampa teenagers who were street racing on Bayshore Boulevard.
John Reisinger of Tampa told the Tampa Bay Times that his niece's 21-month-old daughter Lillia died Thursday. The girl's mother, 24-year-old Jessica Raubenolt of Jeromesville, Ohio, died Wednesday.
Police say Raubenolt was pushing Lillia in a stroller and crossing legally at an intersection when they were struck Wednesday.
Reisinger said Raubenolt was visiting Florida so her husband could obtain certification as a single-engine airplane pilot. The couple planned to return to Ohio next week because bad weather had delayed his certification.
There will be a vigil in honor of Lillia and her mother at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at Bayshore Boulevard and West Knights Avenue.
Two teens who graduated high school on Monday each face two counts of vehicular homicide and street racing. A 20-year-old passenger in one of the cars also was charged with street racing.
Cameron Herrin, 18, was driving a Ford Mustang that struck Reisinger, police said.
Herrin was racing a Nissan driven by 17-year old John Barrineau. Both are charged with street racing, vehicular homicide, and reckless driving resulting in serious bodily injury. A passenger in the Mustang, 20-year-old Tristan Herrin, was charged with a misdemeanor count of street racing, police said.
In response to the crash, the City of Tampa is reducing the speed limit on Bayshore Boulevard from 40 mph to 35 mph.
The city had already planned to reduce the speed, replace signs and add crosswalks, among other safety modifications, but decided to move forward with the Bayshore Boulevard project sooner because of Wednesday's crash.
