Toddler killed while chasing after family dog into oncoming traffic
A toddler was killed in south Florida Wednesday night after he chased his family dog into oncoming traffic - and was subsequently struck by two different vehicles.
The unidentified one-year-old boy had walked out of his home on North Halifax Avenue in Daytona Beach to follow the family dog - who had somehow managed to escape, Bill Rhodes, the director of operations for the Daytona Beach Police Department said at a news conference on Thursday, WESH reports.
He then entered oncoming traffic and was struck by a 2003 Honda CR-V.
The impact of the collision then sent the toddler into the southbound lanes of the busy avenue, where he was then struck by a 2012 Chevy Silverado.
Police then responded to the scene at around 8.21pm and found the boy with severe injuries in what Rhodes referred to as a 'traumatic and chaotic scene.'
From there, he was transported by Volusia County EMS to Halifax Hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead an hour later, Rhodes announced.
Officers do not believe speed was a factor in the young boy's death - and are still considering whether to bring charges against anyone in the case.
'At this point, it just seems to be a very tragic accident that we are having to work though here and help the family get through,' Rhodes told reporters, noting that both of the boy's parents and both drivers are cooperating with the ongoing investigation.
'Just this whole mix of things came together in a really tragic turn of events last night,' he added, according to Fox 35.
Rhodes went on to say he does not want to hold anyone accountable for 'what they did or didn't do.
'Those of us that are parents, we know that little kids are quick and fast,' he said.
'I guarantee you that they [the boy's parents] are dealing with major trauma today,' he added.
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