Driver faces charges after 6-year-old dies in Oldsmar crash, deputies say

Pinellas deputies on Thursday arrested a driver in connection with a crash in Oldsmar last month that killed a 6-year-old girl .Jayanna Clark, 27, of Clearwater faces one count of vehicular homicide and two counts of child neglect related to the April 30 crash, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release. The crash happened about 4:40 p.m. that day at the intersection of Tampa Road and St. Petersburg Drive, according to an arrest report. Clark was driving a Nissan Altima east on Tampa Road and continued through a red signal at St. Petersburg Drive, crashing into a Tesla Model Y, the report states. The Tesla driver, 52-year-old Christy Proctor, had been heading west on Tampa Road and was attempting to turning south onto St. Petersburg Drive.The Nissan’s data recorder showed Clark was accelerating from 71 mph five seconds before the crash to 80 mph as she approached the red signal, according to the report. The speed limit on that stretch of Tampa Road is 45 mph.Clark and two children riding with her were taken to a local hospital. The 6-year-old girl, who was riding in the rear passenger side seat, suffered a broken neck, was paralyzed from the neck down and was placed on a ventilator, the reports states. She was taken off the ventilator and died on May 6.A 4-year-old boy was treated for serious injuries. Clark had minor injuries, deputies said.Investigators learned that the children had been removed from Clark’s care by a court order that allowed her to be with them only with a legal custodian present. The day of the crash, Clark picked up the children alone, the report states. The sheriff’s office has not released the children’s names, and they are redacted from the report released by the agency on Friday. Other court records identify the 6-year-old girl as Ja’Niyah Cornelia Bell. She was a first grader at Safety Harbor Elementary school, according to her obituary. “Niyah loved dancing, singing, doing her hair, nails, and makeup, and spending time outside riding her bike,” the obituary says. “She especially loved anything pink and purple and could always be found enjoying her favorite meal of rotini with red sauce and Texas toast while watching her favorite shows.”Records show Clark was being held Friday at the Pinellas County Jail without bond. Times staff writer Emily Wunderlich contributed to this report.