Child Killed in Hit and Run Accident on I-95 Near Melbourne, Florida

On February 24 at about 1:10 PM an accident occurred on I-95 near Malabar Road in Melbourne, Florida. A white van, possibly an Astro, hit a Chevy Blazer on a bridge, causing the Blazer to slam into the barrier and ricochet off into traffic. In an attempt to get control of the vehicle, the driver, Jonathan Cross, swerved, hitting the median and rolling five times according to witnesses. Jonathan had two passengers in his vehicle, his 2 year old son, Elijah and his 3 year old daughter, Adonia. They were both secured in child seats and Jonathan was wearing his seat belt.

When the Blazer finally came to a halt on its roof, Adonia was barely alive, witnesses said. One witness stopped and tried to resuscitate her. The child was taken by helicopter to Holmes Regional Medical Center where she was pronounced dead on arrival. Jonathan and Elijah were transported via ambulance to the same hospital. Elijah suffered cuts on his head and Jonathan had more serious injuries. Besides sustaining cuts and bruises from his head to his feet, he suffered a broken left arm and crushed wrist.

The driver of the white van made no attempt to stop and continued to speed southbound on I-95. A member of a softball team in a vehicle behind the crash site tried to pursue the white van and get a license tag number but was unsuccessful and lost the white van in traffic. Assuming that the white van continued south on I-95, the driver may have been headed to Palm Beach County, Broward County, Dade County or even further south.

Jonathan Cross resides in Deltona. He is separated from his wife, Amber Cross who lives in Boca Raton. According to the Volusia County Court system, the parents have been granted joint custody. They have an amicable relationship. When the hit and run accident happened, Jonathan was driving to Vero Beach to bring his children to their mother. Adonia never made it. Elijah has been asking his mother, "Where's Addy?" since the accident and Amber is at a loss for words.