Toddler Hit During Jeep Beach; Driver Charged

A young boy was hospitalized over the weekend after being struck by a Jeep during Volusia County’s annual Jeep Beach event. The driver, a 36-year-old Lakeland man, was arrested on two criminal charges. The incident occurred at around 4:14 p.m. Saturday. The victim, a three-year-old boy, was said to have been running around the beach as traffic was moving through. He reportedly ran up the beach from the ocean in front of Bronk Winkler’s Jeep. The impact was fortunately at a low speed, the Volusia Sheriff’s Office says. The boy was taken to Halifax Health Medical Center on trauma alert. He was discharged soon thereafter with injuries that didn’t necessitate surgery. Winkler remained at the scene of the crash, the VSO says. Witnesses told law enforcement that they observed him drinking in the time leading up to the crash, and a photo was shown to deputies of multiple empty beer cans where Winkler’s Jeep was parked. An investigation was started to determine if Winkler was driving under the influence at the time of the collision. Field sobriety exercises were conducted. Winkler was arrested for DUI with serious bodily injury. He was also charged with refusal to submit to DUI testing.