TAMPA, Fla. — Police say street racing led to the death of a mother and toddler struck by a vehicle while on Bayshore Boulevard. Three people are facing charges.
According to Tampa Police, two cars were street racing down Bayshore Boulevard on Wednesday afternoon when one of the vehicles struck the mother who was pushing her child in a stroller near W. Knights Avenue in Tampa.
Tampa police say the mother, Jessica Reisinger, 24, and her 2-year-old child, Lillia Raubenolt, were sent to the hospital with serious injuries. Reisinger, of Jeromesville, Ohio, died at the hospital on Wednesday.
Courtesy: Jessica (Reisinger) Raubenolt, Facebook
The infant, Lilia, sustained serious injuries but tragically passed away on Thursday.
Courtesy: Jessica (Reisinger) Raubenolt, Facebook
"We're devastated. It's a tragic crash that didn't need to happen. It could have been avoided," said Kim Degance, President of the Palma Ceia Neighborhood Association.
Police say that 18-year-old Cameron Herrin was driving a black Mustang with 20-year-old Tristan Christopher Herrin in the passenger seat. The two were reportedly engaging in a street race with a Nissan driven by 17-year-old John Alexander Barrineau. Witnesses said that at times the cars were side by side, and at other times they switched places and switched lanes. They were estimated to be going approximately 60 miles per hour.
Tristan Christopher Herrin (L), Cameron Herrin (C), John Alexander Barrineau (R)
The Mustang driven by Cameron Herrin ended up striking the victims, who were attempting to lawful cross the pedestrian ramp at the intersection of Bayshore Boulevard and W Knights Avenue.
The drivers of the two cars - Cameron Herrin and John Barrineau - face one count of street racing and two counts of vehicular homicide. Tristan Herrin, the passenger in the Mustang, faces one count of racing.
In the state of Florida, it is illegal to knowingly ride as a passenger in an illegal street race, according to Florida Statute 316.191.
Cameron Herrin received a $10,000 bond and bonded out of jail shortly before 8 a.m. Thursday morning, driven away by a family member. Tristan Herrin received a $500 bond and bonded out of jail around 4:30 a.m. Thursday morning, taken home by his father according to jail workers. John Barrineau was booked into a juvenile detention center.
A GoFundMe has been created to support the Reisinger family. The community plans to hold a vigil for Jessica Reisinger on Saturday at 10:30 a.m. on Bayshore Boulevard and W Knights Avenue.
The City of Tampa announced late Thursday afternoon they are changing the speed limit on Bayshore Boulevard from 40 to 35, starting Friday. City officials were already working on a plan to improve Bayshore Boulevard, reducing the speed limit was part of it, but city officials decided to approve the change immediately.
