A collision claimed the life of a toddler Tuesday evening after he was struck by a pickup truck while crossing an intersection in Lake Worth Beach.
The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office (PBSO) said that the collision happened at around 7:26 p.m. on November 18 at the intersection of South A Street and 10th Avenue South. Investigators say a 2001 Dodge Ram 1500, driven by a 43-year-old man from Greenacres, was turning eastbound onto 10th Avenue South when the child ran into the roadway.
The victim, identified as Cristian Felipe Andres, just 2 years old, reportedly darted out from in front of a parked vehicle on the south side of the street and into the path of the truck, according to the news release. The driver’s side front of the pickup struck the child, throwing him to the ground.
“The mother was getting out of the house with the child, ready to go to church. There was a van that was picking them up for church. And then she said, go to the van. Get inside. She let go the child so he can go to the van, inside the van, and then he got hit by the truck,” said Juana Andres, the victim’s aunt.
“It’s very deeply sad, losing child. He was still a baby, and to the mother, it was like her very precious child, her baby. It was her child, her young child, losing him. She didn’t expect losing him that soon,” Andres said.
Andres says the spot where the boy was hit is very dark. There’s a street light at that intersection but Andres says it’s not working, and sometimes flickers. “We have asked them multiple times to fix this street light, but they never come and fix it. Like the city, like we have asked them multiple times,” she said.
Emergency responders transported Cristian to St. Mary’s Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead from his injuries. PBSO confirmed that the child’s next of kin was present at the scene and has been notified.
The driver remained at the scene and cooperated with investigators. No injuries were reported for the driver, who was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash. Alcohol or drug involvement has not been indicated.
The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office Traffic Division is handling the case.
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Source: cbs12
