4-year-old girl struck, killed by pickup truck near Boston Children's Museum: Police
A 4-year-old Boston girl was hit by a pickup truck and killed Sunday evening, police say. The incident happened not far from the Boston Children's Museum on Congress Street.
Officers were called to the scene shortly after 5:00 p.m. Sunday about a person who had been hit by a vehicle. EMS took the girl to Massachusetts General Hospital, where she was eventually pronounced dead just before 6:00 p.m.
The driver of the vehicle stayed at the scene, Boston Police Department Superintendent Lanita Cullinane said at a press conference Sunday evening.
“At this time, there are no charges and no arrests have been made,” Cullinane said. “We want to thank members of the community who came down and provided assistance to the victim and the family.”
When asked if the child was by herself, Cullinane said she was with family members.
She did not say whether the child was in a crosswalk. Officers are still gathering information, she said.
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Social media users react to news of child’s death
A police report shows that the girl was hit by a Ford F-150 pickup truck.
Social media users shared news articles about the girl’s death and called for more caution when driving, especially for those who drive trucks.
“Just another child killed by a driver of an oversized vehicle,” wrote one Facebook user. “These are not accidents,’ but predictable results.”
Another Facebook user called these types of incidents “an epidemic” and said these deaths are avoidable.
“This message is for all people who drive pick up trucks,” the Facebook user wrote. “Please, please, please get off your phones and slow down and follow basic safety rules … lives depend on this!”
Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY's NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Follow her on Twitter at@SaleenMartin or email her at[email protected].