Florida tot, 3, dies after being run over by car when she walked onto busy highway as mom tended to SUV
JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA: A three-year-old girl, who wandered in front of a car on a busy highway, has died after being struck by a car on Wednesday, October 19.
The incident happened at around 7:30 pm, on eastbound JTB between Kernan Boulevard and Hodges Boulevard when the toddler’s mom pulled over in the emergency lane on the highway to check what was wrong with her GMC Yukon. Looking for an opportunity to get away, the little girl, stepped out of the SUV and wandered onto the road, according to Inside Edition.
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As she took some steps onto the highway, the little girl was struck by an oncoming Audi driven by a 24-year-old woman. The Audi driver reportedly stayed and rendered aid alongside others, including a medical professional from a nearby medical clinic. The girl, who was in critical condition at the scene, was rushed to a local hospital where she was declared dead.
The driver of the Audi is reportedly cooperating with the investigators and was unlikely to face any charges, deputies said. The authorities have not revealed the identity of the girl or her mother. Master Sgt Dylan Bryan said that investigators were probing to determine if the girl was strapped inside the vehicle.
“This one certainly touches a little closer to the heart being that a toddler was involved in this," Bryan told News4Jax, adding, “Personally speaking, I happen to know that children are very good escape artists. They will figure a way out.” No other details were immediately released by officials.
This is not the first time a child was struck by a car on a Florida highway. Back in April, a nine-year-old boy and his mother’s partner died after being struck by a vehicle as they stood beside their pickup truck on the emergency lane of Interstate 95 in Jacksonville, Florida. The boy's mother was also in the vehicle but was not injured in the accident. The family members of the boy said the 35-year-old man had pulled over because his girlfriend’s son said he was going to be sick.