The 24-year-old driver whose car accidentally hit the child stayed and rendered aid. Cops say the driver is cooperating with their investigation.
A 3-year-old died after accidentally being hit by a car while walking into oncoming traffic on a Florida highway as her mother tended to their family's broken down SUV, according to reports.
The toddler’s mom was checking the SUV about 7:30 p.m. Wednesday to determine what was wrong with the vehicle when the child got out, News 4 Jax reported.
As her siblings inside the SUV screamed, the little girl stepped onto the road and was struck by an oncoming Audi driven by a 24-year-old, Jacksonville.com reported.
The driver whose car hit the child stayed and rendered aid alongside good Samaritans, including medical professionals from the nearby Mayo Clinic, but she could not be saved, officials said.
The driver is cooperating with police's investigation and is unlikely to face charges, authorities said.
“This one certainly touches a little closer to the heart being that a toddler was involved in this,” Master Sgt. Dylan Bryan told News 4 Jax.
Investigators say they are working to determine if the little girl was strapped in. Bryan said there was a car seat in the SUV.
“Personally speaking, I happen to know that children are very good escape artists,” he said. “They will figure a way out.”
