Sunday becomes a tragic day for a family in Texas after a 16 month old girl was run over by a truck that her 4 year old sibling had put into neutral.
According to the report, the family was putting things into a truck to bring to a relative’s house. John Norton, spokesman for the Collin County Sheriff’s Office told media that deputies were called to the scene shortly after 1 p.m. (2 p.m. ET).
It was learned from Norton that the 4-year-old got the keys to the truck that was parked in the driveway. The child climbed in, started it, and put it in neutral. The vehicle then rolled forward and ran over the child’s 16-month-old sister. She was killed instantly.
Norton added that the children’s’ father was inside the house at the time of the accident. He heard the truck start and ran to the door. He saw the vehicle rolling forward and ran to stop it. The truck eventually came to a stop when it struck a neighbor’s fence, Norton said.
At present, an investigation is being conducted regarding the incident.
We at Christensen & Hymas send our condolences to the family. Their misfortunes are heart-wrenching and can be felt, even across state lines.
A parked vehicle is a common place for accidents involving young children to occur. Children, by nature, are curious. They love to explore and imitate what they see adults do. They access car keys when keys are left within their reach, and immediately start imitating. Unsupervised children near or inside a parked vehicle is a serious risk–and only exacerbated by access to car keys. There are many ways kids can get into trouble when dealing with vehicles.
This sad story is a sobering reminder that life is precious and fleeting. To read more on how to avoid accidents involving children, visit Christensen & Hymas .
Original article by Janet Di Giacomo of Fox13.
Image courtesy of Benjamin Deutsch