Fla. Grandma Killed After Speeding Tesla Runs Through Stop Sign, Crashes into Her Home: 'Everybody Loves Her'

A passenger in the Tesla died later on, after arriving at a local hospital

Donna Rein
Donna Rein. Photo: Gofundme

A Florida grandmother and her daughter's dog died Friday night when police allege a speeding Tesla crashed into her home.

According to local reports, including those from FOX 13, Bay News 9, and Patch, Donna Rein, 69, and her daughter's Yorkshire terrier, Riley, were killed when the out-of-control vehicle slammed into her house in Palm Harbor.

Patch reports that Lindsey Jones, Rein's daughter and Riley's owner, and her boyfriend were both inside the home at the time of the crash, but were not hurt.

Jones and her two daughters lived with Rein.

Rein and the dog were pronounced dead at the scene.

The Florida Highway Patrol contends the Tesla Model S Plaid went airborne after running a stop sign at an intersection just after 10:20 p.m., striking an embankment.

The force of that impact lifted the vehicle into the air and sent it into Rein's house.

The vehicle was not on auto-pilot at the time of the incident.

The driver of the Tesla — an unnamed 43-year-old man — and his three passengers were rushed to the hospital with serious injuries.

One of the three passengers later died. That man's name was also not released.

Rein's other daughter, Amber Michelle Mooney, spoke to Patch, and said people were naturally drawn to her mom.

"She does everything for everyone," Mooney said. "She has the biggest heart in the world. Everybody loved her. All of our friends thought of her as a second mom."

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Rein, who was a month shy of her 70th birthday, helped Jones care for her two daughters, who have special needs.

"She retired from her job to help me raise my kids, I have two special needs daughters, and she was my rock," Jones told FOX 13, adding that the crash left her and her girls without a home. "She helped me, she went with me to take them to school, to therapies every day, and she took care of my little Riley."

A GoFundMe campaign has been launched online to raise money for Jones and her daughters.

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